A Thousand Words
by teatime14
Summary: Victoria has been mute since the day she was born, leaving her lonely and embarrassed by her condition. Everything changes when she is brought to the Junkyard and meets a magical tom who promises to fix her voice, but it may come with a price. VicxMisto, multiple pairings
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Dont own cats!

**My first fanfiction.. enjoy!**

Prologue

After months of being pregnant, Trixie instinctively knew that today was the day they had all been waiting for. Her insides twisted with nerves as she prepared herself for the upcoming birth of her kittens. She hid under the kitchen table and tried to relax and calm herself.

"Milkshake! The kittens, they're coming, oh god! I need you!" Trixie called to her mate. Milkshake scurried in upon hearing the distressed calls of his mate.

"The humans aren't awake yet... what do we do?" he fretted. As house cats for their whole lives, Milkshake and Trixie were used to their owners, an elderly couple, taking care of them. They had no idea what to expect for the upcoming birth.

"Ohhhhh, never mind that, here it is! Ohh!" Trixie yowled, gritting her teeth. If possible, Milkshake's all white coat grew even paler as he lied down beside Trixie and nuzzled her in an attempt to keep her calm. All of her muscles tensed as she struggled to get the first kitten out. Finally, the kitten was born as Trixie's muscles relaxed.

It was slimy and looked more like an alien than a kitten. Instincts took over and Trixie bit the outer layer off of the small kit and licked it clean. Milkshake laughed in amazement as he saw it wiggle around. He nudged it with his nose and inspected it. It was a seemingly healthy baby Tom, with a spotted cream and pale orange coat similar to it's mother's.

"Oh, here's the next one, Milkshake," Trixie grunted as the effort of labor took a hold of her. This birth was much more difficult, and Trixie cried out several times in pain, but eventually another little kitten popped out. Once it was all clean and moving, Trixie and Milkshake could see it was another baby boy. This one had white fur with orange stripes and was bigger and thicker than his brother. His fur looked like a perfect combination of his mother's and father's.

"You're doing great, Trixie! They're beautiful, just like their mother," Milkshake gushed over his sons, smiling with pride.  
Trixie's light blue eyes seemed to water with joy. She was weak from labor, but her eyes still held their normal vivacity. "One left, Milkshake, I can feel it," Trixie said, grinning at her mate. He looked like an excited little kitten with a ball of yarn as he waited with anticipation for their third, and last, kit.

This birth was much easier than the first two, and the kitten came out so quickly Trixie and Milkshake were taken by surprise. If possible, the kitten seemed to emerge gracefully. Trixie licked the little kitten and cleaned it up. She looked up at her mate and smiled widely. "Look, dear, it's a mini-Milkshake," she laughed. "Our first daughter."

Milkshake leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his newborn kit. She was tinier than her brothers, and her coat held no hint of orange. It was pure white, and she was easily the most beautiful kitten he had ever seen. Milkshake stroked her side gently with his paw as Trixie nuzzled the kitten with her cold pink nose. "Hello there, little snowflake," she giggled lightly.

After a while the little queen began to squirm and wiggle around like her brothers. Milkshake cuddled with an exhausted Trixie as they proudly watched their newborn kits. "We're parents, Trixie..." Milkshake's voice trailed off in wonder.  
His mate nuzzled him. "Do you think you can handle it?" Milkshake laughed nervously at the prospect of being a father. "I hope so," he said.

In next few hours, the kittens became slightly more active, drinking their mother's milk, napping, and moving around more. The two boys mewled and squeaked nonstop, and yet the female kit remained silent. And from that moment on she never made one little peep.

**Like I said, my first fanfiction, so please review! I hope you enjoyed. (: Ill try to update soon with chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Me gustan gatos, pero no soy dueno de "Gatos" (i dont own cats) :3

**Here's ch 1! It's a little cheesy, but whatever. Things get more exciting next chapter.**

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11 weeks later...

I crouch silently under the couch, my muscles tense as I wait for my next victim. After what seems like hours of waiting and watching, I see a pair of feet shuffle by, falling right into my trap! Without hesitation, I take a flying leap out from the couch to attach myself to the leg belonging to the unfortunate pair of feet.

"Aaghh!" my owner, Peter, yells. "Damn it, Victoria, you naughty little rascal!" He laughs and pries me off his leg. I smile and squirm away from his grip, satisfied with my successful attack.

Peter and his mate are mostly nice owners. They let us go wherever we want in the house, except for their bedroom,  
and they don't get too mad when we have accidents... which do happen often with me and my brothers. They're also the perfect targets for my attacks, and I successfully ambush them on every try. Of course, it also helps that I'm the sneakiest kitten around, and no doubt the most silent!

I run off to tell my brothers all about my little adventure and to brag about how badly I scared the old man. As I run up to them, full of excitement, I start to gush out my story... and the only noise that comes out of my throat is a soft wheezing sound.

In all of my happiness I had somehow forgotten about my condition. Ever since I was born I've never been able to make any sounds. Peter and his mate, Anita, even took me to the vet, which is a really scary place where strangers poke you with sharp sticks, to ask about my lack of a voice. The vet said something about my voice being broken, and I swear he mentioned a box, but he didn't even try to fix it. I remember crying that whole day.

"What's the matter, Victoria? Cat got your tongue?" my brother, Tiger, jokes as I'm snapped back to reality. I swat at my striped brother's ears, tired of his teasing.

"If only you were the one who couldn't talk, Tiger," my other brother, Stanley, breaks in. Tiger and Stanley tackle each other as they break into a wrestling match and roll around on the carpet. Tiger is bigger but Stanley is much more nimble, and so the match is equal. My dad sees the two wrestling and joins them, using his size to his advantage as he holds off both of his sons with one paw.

I watch their fight for a little while from a distance, silently laughing at their silliness, before leaving. Feeling a little left out as usual, I try to find my mother. She can always cheer me up a little no matter how bad of a day I'm having. Most of the time I'm okay with the fact that I can't talk, but it does get really hard sometimes. I've never been able to be a normal kitten like my loud and rowdy brothers; I'm always silently watching from the side lines. It's frustrating to be unable to open up and just spill out my emotions and all of the frustration I feel every day. No one even seems to realize that being mute bothers me.

I eventually find my mother lying on the couch in the front room and lazily enjoying the sun coming in through the window. I leap up, grab the edge of the cushion with my claws, and scramble my way onto the couch. I lie down close to her and look down at my paws.

My mother notices the sad expression on my face and nuzzles me close to her. "Are your brothers teasing you again, little snowflake?" she asks me with concern. I nod and bury my face into her fur as I swallow my tears, stubbornly refusing to cry in front of anyone.

"Don't let those boys get to you, Victoria. Being mute may seem like the hardest thing in the world, but you'll find your voice. I know it," my mom coos in her gentle tone. I look at her with confusion, as if to ask where I could find my voice.

My mother, always able to understand my looks, laughs and replies, "Your voice isn't the amount of racket you can make, like Stanley or Tiger may think. Your voice comes from in here." She points to my heart. "Just think: if one picture is worth a thousand words, how many words do your actions speak?" I try to believe my mother's words, but they are difficult to understand. How could my voice come from my heart? Is that where sounds come from? If so, I must have a broken heart.

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock at the front door. Peter and Anita hurry over and open it up. "Hi! You must be the family looking to adopt a kitten!" Peter says. Adopt a kitten? Surely that doesn't mean me, Stanley, or Tiger?

"That would be us! We're the Wilsons. I'm Carol, this is my husband Mike, my daughter Brenda, and my son Aaron," a woman replies. Her voice sounds overly sweet and syrupy to me.

"Well, great to meet you all! I'm Peter, and this is my wife Anita. Why don't you come on in and look around?" he says as the group comes inside. They're the strangest humans I've ever seen. The mom, Carol, looks as fake as she sounds, with bright pink lipstick and big, blond hair. Her husband, Mike, is a very large and scary balding man. Their kids both have a crazy look in their eyes and creepy smiles that are aimed in my direction. I'm frightened by the weird strangers and I bury myself into my mother's fur as she crouches low to protect me. If I can't see the kitten-adopting strangers, then maybe they won't see me.

I know my logic is wrong when I suddenly feel a pair of hands constrict themselves around me tightly and yank me away from my mother. I'm held up to the girl, Brenda's, cheek, and even though I struggle I can't get away and out of her huge, grubby hands.

"Mom, isn't this the most adorable little kitten you've ever seen?" the girl squeals, squeezing me even tighter. The whole family leans their faces in very close, suffocating me.

"That's Victoria, isn't she a doll? Completely quiet, too. The vet says her voice box will never be able to properly function in her life, and so can't meow. She's really a very sweet cat," Anita says. I'm too terrified to even attempt to comprehend what is happening to me and I continue to try to struggle out of the girl's hands and away from the enormous faces and eyes staring at me.

"Who doesn't want a silent cat?" the dad, Mike, chuckles. He rubs me under my chin with thick, rough fingers. "All of their whining can get annoying."

"She sounds perfect! We'll take her!" the syrupy-sweet mom gushes. They'll take me? What does that mean? Where are they taking me?

From the girl's hands I'm shoved into a little cardboard box with two small slits on the side. I try to escape as I frantically rake my claws across the top, but its useless. I'm taken out the door in the box, and I only catch one last short glimpse out the slit of my family- my mom, dad, and two brothers all gathered as they watch me taken away- before the box is roughly thrown into the back seat of a car and I'm taken away from my home forever. I long to cry out to my family, to say goodbye, to say anything, but nothing comes out. I can't shake a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach that I'll never see any of them again.

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**Hope you enjoyed this short little chapter, things in the story will pick up real soon I promise! Anyone notice the tie-in to the title? ;) So I'll definitely update soon, sunday at the latest. And thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really made my day! :D any constructive criticism or things I can improve on would be welcome, too. ¡Muchas gracias!**


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dont own cats!

**Just in case it gets a little confusing, the family is talking in like baby talk in the beginning. They dont actually talk like that haha.**

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The bumpy car ride lasts an eternity as I go over everything that has happened through my head. I feel as if I'm having a bad dream and at any moment my mother will wake me up and tell me everything's okay. In a matter of minutes I was taken away from my family and everything I've ever known. It's a lot to take in.

When the car finally stops and the engine dies, my box is roughly lifted out of the trunk. I look out the slit and all I see are houses- small, similar, square houses.

Whoever is carrying my box (I suspect it's Mike) drops it roughly on a stained carpet inside of a house. I shrink in the corner of the box to try to avoid the hands that reach for me, but they catch me and snatch me out. I'm dropped to the floor, where I see the family who "adopted" me crowded around me in a circle, trapping me and preventing me from escaping. They make loud, strange sounds and bizarre squealing noises unlike any I've heard before.

"Yoo awe just the cutest-wootest wittle kitty I've ever seen! Awww!" the little girl squeals.

"Hi dere, wittle Vicky," the boy named Aaron coos. I flatten my ears when I hear him call me Vicky. My name is not Vicky, it's Victoria! In a panic I rush out of the circle between Aaron's skinny legs. The house is strange and unfamiliar to me, and so I scramble into the nearest room possible. I leap onto a counter and make an attempt to hide behind a bowl of fruit, but I hear footsteps following close behind me.

"Aww, the poor thing is a wittle scared," Carol says as she snatches me back up under my arms. Defeated, I'm brought back to the rest of the family where I spend the next few hours facing unbearable torture. Brenda dresses me up in constricting doll clothes, Aaron yanks me by my tail, and Carol prods cat food in my face. The whole time Mike is just watching football on tv... I'm starting to like that man more and more.

* * *

It's nighttime at last, and the family must have gotten tired of me because they've all gone to bed. As I lie on the carpet alone, worn out and sore from the overwhelming day I had, I see a sleek shadow pass by me through the hall and into the room I tried to escape into earlier. What was that?

I silently slink through the house in pursuit of the dark shape. I'm led into the room that must be the kitchen, but I don't see the shadow anywhere. Maybe it was only my imagination...

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? You must be my replacement," a voice from behind me says. I gasp and swivel around to come face-to-face with a pair of gray eyes. The eyes belong to a queen with sleek brown fur, long limbs, and an even longer tail. Even in the darkness it's easy to tell how beautiful she is. She must be another cat of the family! Now more than ever I wish I could speak, to ask the billions of questions I have.

"My name's Cassandra. I was the shiny new toy last year," the sleek queen chuckles. "This family always want the cute little kittens. The first couple of days they spend every minute of their time pampering you. A few weeks after that they begin to lose interest, spend more time watching the tv and less watching you. And when you're a big grown up girl like me- I'm a year and a half next month- they don't really give a damn. Trust me, kid, you'll get old real soon." Cassandra smirks at me. Her voice is full of sarcasm and I don't know what to think.

"Don't mind me, I'm just a bitter has-been," Cassandra says, laughing again as if she's said something very funny. "I'm getting ahead of myself... what's your name?" I stare at her blankly, unable to answer her question. I long to scream out my name, "Victoria!", like a normal kitten, but I know it's impossible. Instead I try to indicate to Cassandra that I can't speak by pointing to my mouth with my paw and shaking my head.

"Cat got your tongue?" Cassandra laughs at her own wit. I really hate cat humor. Frustrated, I decide to show Cassandra my lack of voice. I take a deep breath and try to scream and, as usual, a thin wheezing sound comes out of my mouth.

"No voice then? The humans must love you even more for that. Later, you little wheezer," Cassandra dismisses as she turns with a flick of her skinny tail. I see her stroll over to the wall and nudge it. A little square flap opens to the outside. The outside! Before Cassandra can leave, I leap beside her and tap her on the shoulder. I point at the door and cock my head.

"What's that door, you ask? It leads outside, which is where I intend to go if you'll move out of the way," she says. I block her way again as she tries to leave. This time I point to her and the door and shrug my shoulders.

"Um, why am I leaving?" she asks to confirm my question. I nod in response. "I'm meeting someone, and that is none of your business!" I point to myself and the door and I nod. Is it possible that I can go out the door, too?

"No, little wheezer, I know what you're thinking! No going outside! Maybe you can come with me some other time, but not tonight. There are all sorts of monsters and killers on the loose, believe me. You're much safer in here," Cassandra says, losing her patience with me and sarcasm taking over her voice. I don't bother arguing. I step aside and let her pass through the door without protest. The flap swings for a bit and then goes still, and I know I'm now completely alone. I'm glad I found Cassandra and that I'm not the only cat in the house, but I still miss my family. I curl up on the hard kitchen tile and fall asleep thinking about them, wondering if I will ever see any of them again.

* * *

I'm awoken from my deep slumber by the small door opening and closing again. Cassandra is home! I sit up and open my eyes. She must have been out for a long time because I see the sun rising out the kitchen window. Cassandra walks in kitchen smiling and humming and looking perfectly content with herself. I leap into her path.

"OH!" she exclaims, startled. She takes in the sight of me in front of her and sighs impatiently. "Oh, it's only you." She pushes past me and walks away, singing and flicking her tail to the tune. I crouch low and watch her tail sway, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...

I pounce and grab it, catching it right in my paws! Cassandra turns to me with a deadly look on her face and glares. I cock my head and look at the queen expectantly. She must tell me how her night was! It must have been very good since she's singing and dancing afterwards.

"You are one nosy little kitten, you know that?" Cassandra scoffs. I wave my hand to show that I want her to tell me about her night. She must get my signal, because she sighs and gives in. "Oh, fine, I'll tell you how it went. It was a great night, amazing really... but there were still monsters! Lots of monsters, with teeth! I barely escaped with my life!"

I wheeze with laughter at her ridiculous story. I don't know who Cassandra thinks she's fooling with the monster trick. The outside sounds like a wonderful place! I point to the small door and get down on my knees, begging Cassandra to take me outside with her.

A trace of a smile appears on her lips, but she doesn't give in. "Not yet, wheezer. I told you I would take you some other time, maybe next week." With that, Cassandra strolls away and out of the kitchen. I run to catch up and I continue to follow her.

"Did anyone ever tell you how clingy you are? Stop following me!" the queen scolds me as she continues to walk. "I'm not your mother, you know." I can see her shudder at the very idea. "I know you're not my mother, Cassandra," I think. "But maybe you could be like my fun older sister?" I smile and rub my head against Cassandra's side.

"Kittens these days..." Cassandra groans as she recoils from me.

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**It's Cassandra! She probably came off as a bit of a jerk, but she has her reasons. And misto comes in soon, no worries (: Thanks for the great reviews! And thatHORRIBLEcat, your advice gave me a good idea for a later chapter, so thanks so much! I'll try to update by wednesday. And please please any criticism/reviews/advice/ideas would be awesome**


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own cats. Oh, and I don't own Mufasa from the lion king, either (you'll get why im saying this later)

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As the days in my new home pass by, I come to see the truth in what Cassandra said about the Wilsons. The first few days I was here the family couldn't get enough of me.

Brenda drove me around in her little baby carriage and introduced me to several of her "friends": Mr. Fluffydoodle, her raggedy old Teddy bear; Googlykins, a creepy doll with googly eyes that seem to be staring at me no matter where I am; and Ollie-Wollie, a 5-legged octopus with a top hat. I even went on a date with the dashing Moofasa, a half-lion, half-cow stuffed animal. She sat us at a little table where she made us drink "tea"- empty plastic cups she shoved in my face. I shiver to remember what happened at the end of our date: Brenda rubbed Moofasa's face all over my own and made kissy sounds.

"Victoria, baby, I love you!" Brenda said in a deep parody of Moofasa's voice.

"Oh, Moofasa, I love you, too! Smooch smooch!" she squeaked in what was supposed to be my own voice. I pray that if I had a voice, it would sound nothing like Brenda's interpretation! I also pray that I'll never have to go out with Moofasa again, or any stuffed animal for that matter.

As bad as it was to be played with by Brenda, her brother Aaron was even worse, if possible. He picked me up and used me to demolish all of his toys. He yelled, "MONSTER KITTY!" and made his toys say things like, "Noooo! The cat is so fat it'll crush us all!" It was humiliating.

After a week or so they begin to pay less and less attention to me. The siblings spend less time tormenting me and more time watching TV. They're also gone a lot more often, back at school after their spring break, Cassandra says. I'm grateful for this, but I do find myself getting bored sometimes. Sure, playing with Brenda and Aaron is degrading, but it's something to do and it takes my mind off of things. And I guess being played with is better than being ignored like Cassandra is.

As time continues to pass I fall into the monotonous routine of my new life as the old one slips away from me. Cassandra leaves through the small door every night, and I continue to sleep right outside of it in the kitchen. In the daytime Cassandra mostly sleeps, the kids are at school, and the adults are at work, so I'm kind of forced to entertain myself. I run around the house with no real purpose, play with the many cat toys I've been given since I first arrived, and nap. With each day almost the exact same, time seems to fly. Cassandra keeps time much better than me, and she tells me it's already been about four weeks since I was first brought here. That's more than a quarter of my life so far!

This afternoon I'm feeling especially bored, and with nothing else for entertainment I find myself wandering into Mike and Carol's room as I often do. They have a full length mirror in their bedroom against the wall, it's frame surrounded by intricate workings of bronze. Mirrors deeply fascinate me. When I first explored the Wilsons' house and came into Mike and Carol's room, the looming glassy surface startled me. I thought another cat was staring right at me and copying all of my movements! I tried to pounce on it and found myself hitting the surface hard and falling on my back. It took me a few minutes of confusion and fascination to figure out that the mystery kitten was my own reflection. I'd seen my reflection before, but never so clearly as I could in the mirror. Since then I've spent a considerable amount of time in front of the bronze-framed surface.

Looking in the mirror reminds me of my family more than anything. I never realized how much I look like them, and when I see myself I can almost pretend I'm looking at them right in front of me. I see the pure white coat of my father, my mother's sky blue eyes and facial features, and the same fluffy kitten fur that my brothers have.

"How much I've changed," I think as I stare at my reflection. My new family strapped a pink diamond collar on my neck, like the gray one Cassandra wears, and I've grown quite a lot in four weeks. My limbs are longer and stronger and I've filled out a little. My inside has changed just as much as my outside, though. Did I really used to cry when my brothers teased me, or when I was hungry and my food dish was empty? I've learned to mask my emotions over time and conceal any unpleasant thoughts in the deep corners of my mind.

"Hey," I hear a voice say from the doorway. I turn my head to see Cassandra watching me and leaning against the doorframe. She walks forward and stands next to me by the mirror.

"Staring at yourself, I see?" Cassandra says mockingly. "How exciting." I blush and shrug, flashing Cassandra a guilty smile. Her icy exterior cracks for a moment as a slight smile appears on her lips and humor sparks in her eyes.

She turns to the mirror and breathes on it. In the foggy area created by her breath she draws a smiley face with her paw.

"You know, you're not so bad, wheezer," Cassandra says, still smiling mysteriously. I mimic Cassandra and I breathe on the mirror, only I write "Victoria", and point to myself.

Cassandra laughs, "So your name is Victoria, is it? So, I was thinking, _Victoria_, and I decided you're ready to go outside. You're coming with me tonight."

When I'm able to comprehend her words I grab Cassandra's paws and pull her into a lively dance with me to celebrate. I'll finally be going outside, the beautiful and wonderful place she disappears to every night! I spin around the room as Cassandra pries my paws off of her own. "Watch it, you little stinker! I could still change my mind you know!" she threatens, her voice full of sass. She sashays out the door with an annoyed flick of her tail.

I wonder what suddenly changed Cassandra's mind about letting me go outside? I don't put too much thought into it, though. No, I'm too happy to really care.

* * *

That night Cassandra leads me to the small door in the kitchen, but she stops me before we go out. "Tonight you must do everything I tell you to, alright?" she demands and I nod in agreement. She steps through the flap and roughly pulls me out after her. We're in a fenced-in backyard, but Cassandra leads me under a gap in the fence. I easily slip through, and once we're both out I see that we're on a grassy hillside sloping downward into a sparse group of trees. The brown queen begins to trot down the hill and I follow closely at her feet.

"I'm going to take you somewhere, it's only about a five minute walk, but you need to stay right next to me the entire time, you hear? Do_ not_ wander off, _ever_! If I lose you the Wilsons will get another kitten to replace you, and do you know what that could mean? That kitten could be even more annoying than you, and, even worse, it would probably have a voice. So don't push your luck tonight, you're staying with me!" Cassandra says as she hurries along toward our destination, stopping to look back at me every once in awhile to make sure I'm following her. I struggle to keep up as my legs are much shorter than Cassandra's own spidery limbs, but I make sure to follow her warning and stay beside her.

"Okay, here it is. The junkyard," Cassandra says when we reach a flat clearing, past the group of trees, covered in various piles of junk. I look at everything in wonder. It's amazing! I jog a little ahead of Cassandra and look around further. All of the piles of so-called junk hold little pieces of treasure that draw me to them. I walk forward in a trance to get a closer look at some of the bits and pieces.

For a moment I see two bright flashes of light coming from the trash pile next to me. I shrug it off and turn around to look at Cassandra. She's browsing around at the trash a ways behind me and doesn't seem to notice me. Forgetting about her warning, I decide to keep walking farther ahead. I notice an especially fascinating shiny little gadget at the edge of the pile I had seen the two balls of light coming from earlier and I bend down to inspect it. As I'm leaning forward I'm suddenly slammed by a strong mass of fur that knocks me over to the ground and causes me to roll painfully across the junk pile. I let out a silent scream. Maybe Cassandra wasn't lying about there being monsters! Where is she now when I need her? I crawl away desperately and huddle into a tight ball under a torn up piece of a couch to hide from my attacker.

"Where did you go, you little sneak?" I hear his voice calling, taunting. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" The tom's threatening voice invades my brain and causes fear to seep into every bit of me. I hear his footsteps draw closer and closer and closer until the couch above me is lifted up and I'm left unprotected in the open! I wheeze with terror when I feel a pair of claws grip me and turn me over to face the monster who attacked me. I keep my eyes tightly shut as I pray for a miracle in this seemingly hopeless predicament.

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**Cliffhanger! So this chapter is kind of a filler, but it was necessary to set up for the next chapter. So just wait, chapter 4 will be explosive-ish! Since I feel bad about the blah-ness of this chapter (and the fact that misto _still _isnt in the story) I'll try to update by friday, but saturday or sunday at the latest. Thanks for reading and reviews! And thanks for being patient with me, guys (: As always any reviews/advice/critiques are super appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own cats

**Well, this is a really long chapter! I hope it lives up to any expectations**

* * *

I keep my eyes squeezed shut and my arms over my face, shaking with fear and refusing to look at whoever attacked me. I wait to feel pain, discomfort, anything, but nothing happens.

"Well damn, you're not Griddlebone. You're just a kitten," my attacker says, sounding guilty. "Sorry to scare you, little kit." I slowly look up from under my arm to see a large black and white tom standing over me. He doesn't look scary at all and he even smiles at me. Now I know he's definitely not a monster, but then why did he attack me?

"Alonzo? Alonzo, what the hell are you doing?" I see Cassandra storming over from the distance to stand beside Alonzo with her hands on her hips. I leap up from the trash pile I was huddled on to hide behind Cassandra. She puts a comforting arm around me as I peek out from behind her back. I don't sense any danger in the large tom, but I'm still a little shaken up and confused from being attacked.

"I thought she was Griddlebone, alright? You know Munkustrap makes us patrol the junkyard at night to watch for Macavity or his henchcats. Just a little safety precaution, queenie, nothing to get so worked up about," Alonzo replies cooly, winking at Cassandra.

"Safety precaution, my ass," Cassandra says. "Are you really thick enough to think this little runt is Griddlebone?" She uses the same condescing tone on Alonzo that I've heard in her voice many times before.

Alonzo throws his head back and laughs as he drapes his arm across Cassandra's stiff shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a horrible jerk. Relax for once, Cassandra. You are_ way_ too uptight." I try not to smile for Cassandra's sake, but Alonzo is definitely right. It's easy to forget how young Cassandra really is because of how stiff she acts all the time.

"I-I... I am _not_ uptight!" Cassandra stutters a little, a ridiculous appalled expression written all over her face. Her face is a little red from either embarrassment or anger. She grabs my wrist and pushes her way past Alonzo as we continue to walk through the junkyard. A few short seconds later, though, she sighs angrily and turns around. "Are you working all night?" she demands of Alonzo.

"Yup. But I'm free _all_ night tomorrow," Alonzo says flirtaciously.

Cassandra groans and rolls her eyes, but she half-smiles at him before we turn to leave again. "See you then." I see Alonzo smirking as he watches her walk away before getting back to his patrol.

As we continue on I look at Cassandra and raise my eyebrows, smiling and pointing at her and Alonzo in the distance. "None of your business," Cassandra says, smirking.

I know how private she is, but sometimes I can read her like an open book. Cassandra likes Alonzo. I giggle as I make faces at her and bat my eyelashes.

"Oh, stop being such a kit," Cassandra says, lightly shoving me. "I could've let Alonzo had you, you know. I didn't need to step in and save you! Now, let's go meet some of the other cats."

I look at her with wide eyes and raise my eyebrows. There are more cats? "Well of course there are more cats in the junkyard!" Cassandra scoffs as is she read my mind. "What, did you think you were the only cat in the world?"

As if on cue, I notice several cats about when we reach a clearing relatively free of junk. There are cats of almost every size, color, and age. All of them seem to be busy singing, dancing, talking, napping, or playing. The junkyard must be some sort of haven for cats, and all of the lively action around me peaks my curiousity. I look at Cassandra inquisitively. What is this place?

"We all like to hang out in this junkyard. Most of these cats live around here in all of the houses," Cassandra explains nonchalantly. I've never seen more cats, though that isn't saying much considering I've only ever seen my family and Cassandra. Even then, I've still felt like an outcast my whole life. Maybe... maybe I could belong here? Maybe I could fit in...

I break away from Cassandra and hesitantly step forward as if in a trance to a group of three adult queens who are dancing. Their movements are so intoxicatingly fluid and beautiful. I watch for a while before shyly joining in, effortlessly mimicking their moves and adding on to the routine, making each step a little more complicated. I lose myself in the dance, forgetting myself and everyone around me. I've never done anything like this, dancing in front of people, but my shyness has subsided as I let the dance take a hold of me.

I'm suddenly broken from my trance when I feel a paw on my shoulder. I stop and see one of the queens who had been dancing, a lovely black and gold cat, looking at me. "Your dancing is beautiful, especially for one so young," the queen compliments me with a kind smile.

Another queen who had been dancing, this one a fiery shade of red, smiles and says, "I _know_ I haven't seen you around. What's your name?"

I'm a little embarrassed as my actions set in. I just danced... in public! I'm humiliated, and even worse these two queens are expecting me to speak to them. I open my mouth and look around in slight panic, but before I can do anything, Cassandra steps in beside me. "Bombalurina, Demeter, this is Victoria. She's with me," Cassandra introduces me with a cold, haughty tone in her voice. The two queens nod their head at me in greeting. A silver tabby cat with black stripes standing on a large tire nearby seems to hear what Cassandra says because he jumps down and walks over to join us.

"A new kitten to the tribe, you say? Nice to meet you, Victoria, I'm Munkustrap," the tall tom says as he shakes my paw. So this is the Munkustrap that Alonzo mentioned earlier, the one who ordered him to patrol the junkyard. He seems to have an air of authority and commands respect.

"Let me introduce you to all of the Jellicle cats." He leads me to the center of the clearing and clears his throat as I stand frozen with fear. I don't like having to stand in front of the whole group of unfamiliar cats as every eye turns to me. How many of them are there? 20? More? Ohh, I'm gonna be sick...

"Jellicle cats, listen up!" Munkustrap announces and every cat falls silent and turns to face me. "We have a new kitten in our tribe! Why don't you tell everyone your name," he suggests. I look at the crowd with wide eyes and consider running away, but my feet are glued to the spot. I'm humiliated that I can't even answer his simple question in front of the entire tribe of cats. I look down in shame as my cheeks burn.

"She is unable to answer that question, Munkustrap," an identical pair of dark cats, a tom and a queen, say from the crowd in unison. "She is a mute."

I can hear some of the cats in the crowd let out a small gasp, and I catch a few mutter things like, "The poor dear..." or "How terrible!"

"I'm sorry, Victoria, we had no idea," Munkustrap says in a tone full of regret. I hate pity... could this get any worse?The last thing I want is these cats feeling sorry for me. I'm still a normal kitten, it's not like I'm dying or anything!

"Oh, big deal, she's a mute!" Cassandra speaks up in my defense. "She doesn't need your pity, so why don't you all just get on with your lives!" Everyone watching seems a little embarrassed and uncomfortable. I smile at Cassandra and she looks at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes and winks.

Cassandra's speech seems to break the ice, because afterwards some of the cats come up to me and introduce themselves. Jellylorum, Jennyanydots, Asparagus, Skimbleshanks... all older cats. All of them skate around the fact that I can't speak and avoid talking about it, trying to keep the conversation cheerful and pleasant. I guess I'm thankful for that, but I can tell they're still only talking to me because they feel bad for me.

Eventually they all leave and I'm left standing alone by myself. My mind starts to wander as I begin thinking about the dark twins who spoke up earlier and wondering how they knew I was mute. "Because we possess certain psychic abilities," I hear the twins answer in their calm, soothing voices. I turn around to see them standing closely together and staring deep into me. Up close I can tell they are around my age, but they carry themselves as much older and more mature. "Our names are Coricopat and Tantomile."

Psychic cats? How is that possible?

"Yes, psychic. It is a gift we were born with," they reply in prefect unison, their voices a soothing harmony. They replied to my thought! I start to feel giddy that someone can understand me at last!

"Are there any other magical cats?" I think as loudly as possible to make sure they hear me. Maybe another magical cat could understand me?

Coricopat and Tantomile even roll their eyes in perfect unison. "We're psychic, not magical," they correct me. Oh, same difference! They narrow their eyes at me. Oh, right, they can hear my thoughts...

Coricopat Tpeaks alone this time. "But there is a magical tom, if you would like to meet him." I nod my head enthusiastically and Tantomile disappears into the crowd of cats. She returns after a moment, followed by a sheepish black kitten who looks only a little older than me, before both twins drift away.

This is the magical cat? I didn't expect him to be so young. He's small and has sharp, pointy ears and a mischievous look to him, with mysterious eyes as black as his own fur. It's hard to take him seriously, though, because of his skinny arms and legs; dorky, lopsided grin; and twitching whiskers.

"Hi. I'm Mistoffelees," the kitten says, smiling at me and giving a little bow of his head as his whiskers continue to flick. "At your service!"

"It's nice to meet you! Coricopat told me you're a magical cat," I think. I'm excited to hear his response, to hear an acknowledgement of my inner voice.

He only stares at me blankly for a while until something in his head seems to click.

"Oh, I can't read your thoughts, you know. That's only Tantomile and Coricopat. I can just do a few magic tricks." I am a little disappointed I won't be able to freely communicate with him, but I guess I'm used to it by now. I shrug my shoulders to show him it's all right.

"Would you like to see one? A magic trick, I mean?" Mistoffelees offers as he awkwardly scratches his head. He seems a little unsure of his magical abilities, so I nod encouragingly at him. I'm not sure what to expect; I've never seen magic before. I didn't even know cats could do magic.

The tom takes a few steps backward and straightens his stance. He thrusts his hands to the side of him and waves his fingers. He then claps his paws together and yells, "Presto!" A few sparks and a puff of smoke are produced from his hands. I watch in awe as the smoke disappears and a bouquet of flowers is left in his paws. Brilliant!

Mistoffelees, looking somewhat surprised to see that his magic worked, bows with a huge grin on his face and hands me the bouquet. "For you," he says, smiling widely at me. I clap my hands at his wonderful trick and return his smile.

"Where'd my flowers go!" I hear a voice demand from the top of a nearby junk pile. I see a very tall black tom with a wild mane leap down to stand beside us. I try not to stare, but... he is extremely, mindblowingly handsome. He places his hands on his belt and looks me up and down. He snatches the flowers from my hand but continues to inspect me.

"Well, hellooo there," he purrs. I smile and giggle a little. He said "hello" to me! Mistoffelees bristles and gives the tall tom an annoyed look but doesn't say anything.

"My name is... _The_ Rum Tum Tugger!" He says this as he wiggles his hips, which I follow with my eyes. I'm relieved he doesn't ask me what my name is, only shakes his hips and winks at me. He stops abruptly, however, when Bombalurina walks by. He grins, and without a word he follows the scarlet queen. I see him catch up to her and give her the flowers, which she takes before rubbing against him.

"Tugger has something of a reputation around here," Mistoffelees explains, still sounding a little annoyed. I nod in agreement. He's definitely unobtainable, but handsome all the same. "Sorry about the flowers," Mistoffelees says this lightly with a bit of humor in his voice, seemingly happy about the mischief he made.

"Where's my collar!" another voice yells angrily. Mistofflees turns to the sound and smiles mischeviously.

"Gotta go!" he says. "I'll see ya later, Victoria!" I see the black kitten streak off in the opposite direction the voice came from. I can't help but laugh when I see Munkustrap sprinting after him.

I turn away from the running tom to see two more kittens approach me. The matching orange and black cats are both carrying stuffed sacks over their shoulders and looking at me curiously.

"So ya can't speak, eh? Wot is wrong with ya voice?" the Tom asks me with a strong accent I've never heard before.

"Mungojerrie, be noice! She can't 'elp it she can't talk!" the little queen scolds her brother in the same accent, and he grumbles and trots away. The queen has extravagant pearls around her neck, rings circling the tips of her ears, and a hot-pink silk scarf tied around her waist. "Now, if ya will ignore ma rude brother, Oi would loike ta be ya friend! Name's Rumpelteazer!" She talks very loudly and boisterously, but she sounds sincere. I nod and smile at her and examine her pearls.

"Wot, ya loike them fancy pearls?" Rumpelteazer asks. "Oi got a 'ole buncha them layin' around Oi could maybe lend ya sometime!" She leans in closer and, in a quieter tone, adds, "Ya see, me an' ma brother loike to steal from tha family, but don' tell anyone Oi said tha'! Ol' Munkustrap woul'nt loike it if 'e found out." I drag my fingers across my mouth to indicate that my lips are sealed.

"Good! Oi'll be seein' ya aroun' then!" Rumpelteazer gives me a friendly knock on the head and dashes off after her brother with her sack slung over her shoulder. As she runs off she bumps into a group of three young kittens. I can see her chatting with them and pointing at me, and shortly after the three kittens walk my way.

The oldest looking one, a dark queen with red patches, speaks first. "Victoria, right? I'm Electra." She gives me a half smile that I return as I wave at her.

A squirmy cream-colored kitten with brown stripes speaks next. "Well HULLO Victoria! It's true you really can't talk? I don't think I could live like that, you see, there's just so many things to say! Etcetera's my name, by the way." She maintains a huge smile on her face the entire time she talks. Her smile and her bubbly happiness is contagious.

The last queen is very small and looks a week or two younger than me. "I'm Jemima," she says with a soft giggle. "Your fur is very beautiful... I wish mine was white, too. It's so elegant."

"I know, you're so lucky, Victoria! I wish I was half as pretty as you are... you must have all of the toms falling at your feet!" Etcetera exclaims. This isn't exactly true considering I've never really met any toms until tonight, but I'm flattered at their compliments. I never gave much thought to my appearance.

Electra turns and looks away for a moment. "Look at Plato, he can't stop staring at you!" She giggles and points at a tall older kitten who is watching me from a distance. He has a solid build and dark reddish-orange fur. I can tell he's quite handsome, and he catches my eye and smiles at me and waves. I awkwardly wave back, unsure of what else to do. Toms are not my area of expertise!

"Victoria, you lucky girl," Jemima giggles as she playfully nudges me.

"Drooling at your feet, I tell ya!" Etcetera adds. I glance back in Plato's direction to see him still staring at me, which causes my face to turn bright red with embarrassment. Why does he keep staring at me! My new friends laugh at my red face until they are interrupted by Cassandra standing in front of me looking slightly irritated.

"Come on, we're leaving," she says, grabbing my wrist and pulling me away. I wave goodbye to the three queens and they all wave in return.

"You must come back again!" Electra calls after me. I nod in return, excited to visit the junkyard again tomorrow night. I'm a little sad we're leaving so soon, though. Cassandra takes me back through the edge of the junkyard where we see Alonzo perched on an old couch cushion.

"Leaving so soon, Cassie? Must have been no fun without me," Alonzo teases.

Cassandra's ears flatten as she stops and glares at Alonzo. "I told you to never call me Cassie, EVER. It's Cassandra," the queen spits back. "And you're wrong, I had way more fun without you there to piss me off." I feel bad for Alonzo that he has to face the wrath of Cassandra. She can be really caring and sweet sometimes, but other times she's very guarded and sarcastic.

Alonzo, who must be used to her, only laughs and lays back on the cushion with his head resting on his arms. "I'm sure you did, queenie, I'm sure you did. Have a good night."

Cassandra continues walking but stops for a moment. "Good night, Alonzo," she says in a gentler tone. "Be safe..." Alonzo says nothing and we continue to walk back home. I don't understand the ways of Cassandra sometimes, and it's frustrating to be unable to ask her questions. One question that's been bugging me all of tonight is about something Alonzo said earlier, about having to patrol the junkyard because of some tom named Macavity. Who is Macavity, and... why do the Jellicles need protection from him?

* * *

When we reach our home and are safely inside I pull Cassandra into Mike and Carol's bedroom and over to the mirror. I fog up a large section and do my best to spell out "Macavity?".

Cassandra sighs and says, "He's nothing to concern you, Victoria." She turns to leave but I stop her and look into her eyes, begging her to tell me.

"Fine, but only if you promise not to ask again. Macavity is a cat who hates the Jellicles. I don't know why and I honestly don't care, but for some reason he wants to destroy us. Some people say he's been recruiting minions and henchcats for years, plotting his attack, but he's never really done much to us. He'd have to be pretty gutsy to attack the junkyard considering how outnumbered he'd be."

I relax a little, but I still think Macavity sounds scary. I silently thank Cassandra and watch her walk away as I stifle a yawn. Instead of going to sleep on the cold kitchen floor, I follow the sleek queen where I find her laying on the armchair by the window in the living room. I jump and curl up beside her, and she flinches at my touch.  
"There's just no getting rid of you, is there?" Cassandra mutters. I smile and shake my head as I drift off to sleep.

* * *

**Yay, it's Misto... and everyone else! (: Reviews and advice and critiques make me really happy, so please write one if you want! I'm really open to suggestions or anything you want added in to the story. I tried to add more details into this chapter, so let me know if I added enough, too. My goal is to update by next Sunday, so be on the look out for a new chapter! ~Theresa**


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own cats

**Chapter 5! Just another day in the junkyard. And to explain in advance, canball is really, really similar to football... but I know almost nothing about football :P Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

After I practically beg Cassandra to let me go to the junkyard again, she reluctantly agrees to let me visit with her the next night, too. We leave early, shortly after we see the sun set through the narrow window in the kitchen, and get down the hill in record time, mostly because I run and drag Cassandra behind me.

We hurry through the sparse forest and reach the very edge of the junkyard, where junk piles are scattered haphazardly. Asparagus, one of the older toms I met yesterday, is on patrol tonight. He's perched precariously on what I recognize as a toilet, though it's battered and missing the seat.

"Hello, Asparagus," Cassandra says flatly as I wave at Asparagus in an attempt to be friendly.

"'Evening," he replies with a smile as he salutes us both. We pass through and continue walking until our senses are alerted by the busy racket of the jellicle cats.

The center of the junkyard is as busy as it was yesterday, and I'm again overwhelmed by the sheer number of cats. I'm significantly less intimidated, though, now that I know the names of many of them. There are still plenty of faces that I don't recognize, though.

Cassandra slips away from beside me without a word, leaving me alone in the bustling junkyard center. I look around to decide where to go when I spot of group of the queens my age on top of one of the junk piles. I smile and run over to Rumpelteazer, Electra, Etcetera, Tantomile, and Jemima. I wave at them and join them where they sit on top of an old mattress.

"Victoria!" Jemima smiles and waves at me as do the others. I wave back and sit down between Tantomile and Electra.

I'm still not used to the idea of communicating via thoughts, but I decide to give it a go. I make eye contact with Tantomile and scream internally, "What are you all doing?" Tantomile seems to hear me because she smiles and exchanges looks with the other queens.

"Victoria wants to know what we're doing." The queens all start giggling at once and covering their smiles with their paws.

"We're watching the game, of course!" Electra laughs as she looks off into the distance. I follow her gaze and see a group of the tomkits all playing some sort of game that involves passing around a soda can and tackling each other. The game doesn't seem like it would be all that interesting to watch, but I shrug and observe.

"This is the best view in the whole junkyard!" Etcetera giggles as she watches. She claps at random points in the game and giggles profusely. When a brown and white tom tackles Coricopat, she yells, "Great touchdown, Pouncival!" Pouncival looks in our direction and shows off with a backflip, which causes all of the queens, except me and Tantomile, to cheer.

I look at Tantomile and think, "Are they always so Tom-crazy?" She smiles and whispers back to me, "All the time."

The conversation turns to the Rum Tum Tugger as we continue watching the game. I half listen as I watch Mistoffelees, Plato, Coricopat, Mungojerrie, Pouncival, and another tom I vaguely remember seeing last night chasing and tackling each other. There doesn't seem to be much organization, though Plato stands out as one of the star athletes in the game. He has rustic good looks and is quite masculine and developed for a kitten. After scoring a point I'm surprised to see him look in my direction and wink. I quickly look around... is he winking at me? The next time Plato scores he grins and shows off his muscles in my direction.

"Plato's at it again?" Electra cries, seeing Plato show off for what must be me. "You must go talk to him before you miss your chance!" Talk to him? How? I couldn't go talk to a tom! It would be so embarrassing.

"Victoria doesn't know what to do without a voice," Tantomile translates my thoughts. I'm glad she leaves out the fact that I'm thinking about how nervous and unsure of myself I am around toms.

"Just be yourself. He already seems to like you," Jemima suggests as she pats me on the shoulder.

"And it doesn' 'urt ta use ya good looks to git wot you want!" Rumpelteazer adds as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively and elbows me in the side. She eases my nerves a little and I even laugh... but I still don't want to go talk to Plato!

I nod and stand anyways to slowly make my way down the pile to the clearing where the toms are playing. I try to walk as slowly as possible while I think of what to do. I'm so preoccupied I stumble over a piece of junk, but luckily no one seems to have noticed. I reach the clearing too soon and I'm panicking inside as I timidly approach Plato. I tap him on his broad shoulder and wave when he turns around and sees me.

"Hey," he says, smirking at me and nodding in greeting. I see his two friends, a pair of white and brown patched toms, laugh and make kissy faces until Plato shoots them a look. "You're Victoria, right?" I nod as I try to act cool and collected.

"I kinda noticed you yesterday," Plato admits. He coughs and changes the subject. "So you're mute, huh?"  
Once again I'm left with nothing to do but nod. He must think I'm so boring, just standing here and nodding like a bobble-head. In an attempt to do something, anything, I take the soda can that he's holding and inspect it.

"Oh yeah. We're playing canball. It's stupid, really..." Plato trails off as he fiddles with his paws. All of the confidence he had while playing seems to be gone now. I'm glad he seems a little nervous, so I'm not the only one.

One of his friends laughs and punches him on the shoulder as he takes the can from me. "Come on, you're the one who invented it, Plato!" Plato punches his friend back but looks a little embarrassed. His friend turns to me and says, "I'm Tumblebrutus, by the way."

The other three toms who were playing run over and join us. I feel a little awkward and out of place among all of them, but I stay anyways. Too late to leave now without seeming rude.

"Hi, Victoria!" Mistoffelees says as he smiles his lopsided grin and waves to me. I wiggle my fingers in a wave and smile a little back. I'm happy to see him again as I'm reminded of our encounter last night.

"Why'd we stop playin', Pouncival?" Mungojerrie asks Plato's other patched friend. Pouncival grins playfully and looks between me and Plato.

"Ask the lovesick cat over there," he snorts as he points at Plato and elbows Tumblebrutus, who joins him in laughter. Plato smacks his own face with his hand and groans as his fur turns even redder than its natural hue.

"We were just talking to Victoria," he says between his fingers. I'm still left standing there as the level of awkwardness multiplies.

"Oh. Do you wanna play canball with us, Victoria?" Mistoffelees asks, breaking the awkward silence. I silently thank him in my head for saving me from the uncomfortable situation, but I'm not sure if I should join their game. What if I'm really bad and I end up embarrassing myself?

"No way! Oi don' wanna play with a girl!" Mungojerrie objects as he crosses his arms and makes a pouty face.

"You play with Rumpelteazer all the time," Coricopat points out.

"Tha's diff'rent!"

"No, it's a good idea. Maybe the other queens can play, too?" Tumblebrutus says, now fully recovered from laughing.

"Pssshhh, you just wanna play with Jemima!" Pouncival teases, which earns him a whack on the ears by Tumblebrutus. "No! We just need more players, that's all!" Tumblebrutus objects in defense. Now it's Plato, Mistoffelees, and Pouncival's turn to laugh at Tumblebrutus as his face reddens.

"Oll right, oll right! Go an' get 'em!" Mungojerrie says, interrupting their laughter. I giggle but I nod and go to fetch my friends.

"Play with the toms? I'm up for it!" Electra says once Tantomile speaks my thoughts. I knew she would never turn down a chance to hang out with toms up close.

"Sounds like fun," Jemima says with a smile.

"Sounds loike an opportunity to kick ma brother's ass!" Rumpelteazer adds as she rubs her paws together deviously. The five queens enthusiastically follow me off the mattress and down the pile of junk as I lead them to the group of toms.

"Helloooo, everyone," Etcetera sings out when we're standing next to the group of toms. "I am _so_ ready to play!" The toms all nod at us in acknowledgement, obviously trying to look cool. In return the queens wave and smile. I catch Mistoffelees's eye and we exchange a smile and knowing look. This will be an interesting game for sure.

"Do you all know the rules?" Tumblebrutus asks as he tosses the can back and forth between his paws and looks around at us.

"I think we have it down," Jemima replies. With a giggle she says, "We've been watching long enough." That's an understatement; it seems that one of their favorite hobbies is watching the toms.

"So, how are we going to make the teams even?" Plato says as he takes lead. "We obviously need to split up the queens to make it equal, you know, more fair."

"Are you suggesting we're weaker than the toms, Plato?" Tantomile says with a smile. Coricopat knowingly grins and shakes his head, used to his sister's way of unconsciously making people feel stupid.

"Um.. no. Just, you know, you haven't really played as much as we have, so..." Plato trails off, obviously flustered by Tantomile's gentle accusation. "Look, I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh yes ya did!" Rumpelteazer challenges him with a grin and puts her hands on her hips. "It is SO on! Queens versus toms, right now!"

"Oh, this will be _too_ easy!" Pouncival laughs. "You're on! First to three points wins." He ushers his friends to the side and they talk strategy in hushed voices. They all make wild gestures and point to various positions on the makeshift field.

Following Pouncival's example, Electra pulls us all into a huddle. "All right, team, let's do this!" she cheers enthusiastically. "So, let's just try our best, okay? And if we're really lucky, who knows, we might even score a point!"

"Or," Tantomile states, "we could just win." She seems to have a bit of a competitive side that I wouldn't expect due to her calm demeanor, but her intense expression says it all.

"Yeah!" Rumpelteazer yells rather loudly in agreement. "We can take 'em!" A couple of the toms curiously look over upon hearing Rumpelteazer's loud interjection, and Rumpelteazer promptly sticks her tongue out at them. Electra shushes her and the orange queen mutters an apology.

"That's not very realistic, though," Jemima reminds Rumpelteazer. "But we can always try."

"Oh, who cares! Either way we get to play with toms! Let's go, Team Queenpuffs! Ra ra ra!" Etcetera cheers as she bubbles over with excitement. We break our circles as the toms do and prepare for the game to start.

I'm a little apprehensive about how this match is going to go. How are we, a group of six small queenkits, going to beat a team of six strong toms who play canball all the time? I'm still kind of excited to play, though, and I join in with everyone else as soon as the game starts.

It's comically obvious the toms are going easy on us at first. Tumblebrutus fumbles and drops a pass, Pouncival dramatically trips over his own tail, and Mistoffelees gets hit in the face by the can. We take advantage of their silliness and quickly score when Electra passes the can to Rumpelteazer, who catches it and topples over past the goal line, which is really just a row of neatly lined pebbles.

This is a wake up call for the confident toms, who are surprised that we managed to score. They step up their game after that and play at their normal level. Coricopat catches a perfectly executed throw by Plato and sprints for the goal line. Tantomile makes an attempt to catch her twin before he crosses the line, but the swift tom just barely outruns her to score a touchdown.

"1-1," Coricopat says as he receives high fives and claps on the back by the rest of the toms. We shrug it off and regroup to start the next play. The toms score again shortly after when Mistoffelees nimbly dodges all of us to make it to the goal line, making the score 2-1.

If the toms score again the game is theirs. Determined to win, we all rush forward as we quickly pass back and forth and dodge between the toms. Eventually we make it to the goal line, where Tantomile hops over and scores our second point.

Tie game! The toms start with the can and quickly advance toward their goal line. It looks like the game is over when Plato fires the can straight to Mungojerrie on the other side of the line. We all watch the can spiral high through the air before we see a white paw reach up and grab it. Etcetera intercepted the pass! She runs a few feet before passing the can off to me.

Unlike the rest of the queens, I haven't spent a lot of time observing the toms playing canball, so I'm not completely sure what I'm supposed to do. I instinctively begin to dash towards the goal line to score a point when Mungojerrie comes after me. To his surprise and confusion I slide through his legs and continue to run like crazy, adrenaline pumping through my whole body and propelling me forward. Pouncival comes at me next. He reaches out his arms to grab me, but I duck and spin to the side. I'm thrown slightly off balance, but I regain my step and continue to sprint forward to the approaching goal line.

"GOOO VICTORIA!" I hear my friends cheer loudly. Their cheers fill me with confidence and I rush forward even faster. Waiting straight in front of me, though, is Plato, ready to tackle and catch me. He dives forward and is about to topple on top of me when I leap up into the air and jump over him as he slams into the ground. I cross the rest of the field to the goal and score the winning point for my team.

"WE WOOON!" Etcetera yells as her and the other queens run forward and hug me. We're all smiling and laughing and cheering, and still none of us can believe that we beat the toms. It's an amazing mixture of accomplishment and giddiness. "Team Queenpuff rules!" Electra laughs.

"No way! We were only going easy!" Pouncival argues. Even if there is some truth in what he says, I don't really mind. It was fun playing, and even more fun winning.

"Lay off, Pounce," Plato says as he chuckles a little. "They won fair and square." I give Plato a grateful smile and continue to celebrate with my friends.

Later, after everyone is all tired out from playing and cheering, the queens, toms, and I all relax on the mattress we were sitting on earlier when we were watching the game. Most of them are asleep or fighting off sleep with droopy eyes, but I'm still wide awake and alert. As I'm sitting and looking out at the rest of the junkyard, I feel someone touch my shoulder. I turn to see Mistoffelees grinning at me and standing right beside me.

"Victoria," he says quietly so he doesn't wake anyone up, "come with me." He gently takes hold of my paw and leads me down the junk pile to a small patch of dirt.

"What I want to tell you, Victoria, is that I was thinking, and... I might be able to conjure up a voice for you with my magic!" Mistoffelees says with excitement.

I look at Mistoffelees in wide-eyed amazement and urge him to go on, brimming over with curiousity at what he might be able to do.

"Well, I'm not exactly ready yet... I don't have complete control over my magic, you see, but maybe some time soon I can fix your voice! It's only a matter of conjuring sound to come out of your... well, whatever sound comes out of," Mistoffelees explains. "Only I've never actually successfully conjured anything much more than little things like cards or, you know, flowers..."

Without thinking I take Mistoffelees' paws in mine and smile at him in gratitude, overflowing with joy. I don't care that he's never really conjured anything or that the trick could go horribly wrong. I'm just happy that there's a chance I could have a voice, something that's never even been a possibility for me. For once in my life I could be like any other cat in the world. I could be normal!

Remembering that we're on a patch of dirt, an idea pops into my head. I squat down on the ground and write "Thank you" in the dirt as I continue to smile. "It means so much to me!"

"It really is no problem. I like testing my magic!" Mistoffelees says with a mischevious glint in his black eyes. "Besides, I know how hard it is to be, you know, a little different."

I look up at him as he shrugs and gives me a half smile. Mistoffelees_ is_ different from the other cats, but in a good way. He's special and unique, whereas I'm just, I don't know, _defective_. "I think your magic is wonderful" I write in the dirt again to reassure him.

"Really? It's only a few little tricks, but I'm learning, I guess. Maybe some day I'll be a first-class magician. The magical, marvelous Mr. Mistoffelees!" he exclaims with a hearty laugh. "Pretty catchy, right?" I giggle and give him a thumbs up.

"Victoria, why'd you leave?" Etctera suddenly meows from behind me as she yawns and rubs at her eyes. She is flanked by the other queens, who must have all woken up from their naps.

"Oh, we were just talking," Mistoffelees explains with a mischevious smile. "I'll see you later, Victoria." The black tom runs off to join the other toms, who are still relaxed on the old mattress.

"Oh, what did he want?" Jemima asks curiously. "Mistoffelees, I mean."

I somehow forgot to tell them the good news the magic kitten told me! The amazing, fantastic, wonderful news!

"He told Victoria he may be able to conjure up her voice so she can speak," Tantomile says for me. I smile and nod happily in animation to what the psychic queen tells my other friends. They all smile unconvincingly, trying to look happy for me. I cock my head and raise my eyebrows at them. What is so wrong about Mistoffelees giving me a voice?

"That's really great, Victoria," Etcetera says, but her voice lacks it's usual sincerity and jubilance.

"I'm sure your voice would be lovely," Jemima adds, giving me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Why are they all acting like this?

"Now wot are ya all beatin' aroun' tha bush for?" Rumpelteazer says indignantly. "Vicky, ma dear, we all know there is no way Mr. Mistoff'lees could do tha'!"

"Runpelteazer is right. That magic would have to be very advanced," Tantomile explains.

"No offense to him, of course, we just don't want you to get your hopes up too much," Electra adds as she shrugs in apology.

I'm slightly hurt by my friends' lack of faith in Mistoffelees. I have full confidence that the black tom can at least do _something_ to give me a voice, and, if not, it's still worth a try. What do I possibly have to lose?

* * *

**This story is really turning out to have a lot more PlatoxVic than I originally planned. Hmmm... Anyways, thanks a billion for the reviews! They really, really help and encourage me! (: As always, I love any advice, critiques, feedback, or ideas! Thanks for reading! 3 Theresa**


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own cats

**Yes this is a filler chapter... I'm trying to give a sense of time lapsing and everyday life for Victoria. These are mainly just little anecdotes about her and the other junkyard cats. But I hope people like anyways!**

* * *

Going to the junkyard with Cassandra at night becomes a daily ritual for me in the next week. We usually stay there for only a few short hours, but the junkyard and the jellicle cats become an escape from my strange home, where Aaron and Brenda aren't quite bored with me yet and continue to torment me every once in awhile. It's a strange relief and comfort to spend time among other cats and bond with them.

Most of the time I spend with my new queen friends. They all have such a wide range of personalities, and yet they're so alike in many ways. They each have their own individual quirks, too. For some reason I find that I fit in with them so easily, and though I've known them for only a short period of time we've grown very close.

Electra isn't always the most vocal, but she is undoubtedly the leader of the kittens. She is quite serious most of the time and generally takes charge. The red and black kit is almost always talking about toms, which ones are cute and who likes who, but I rarely see her spending time with any of them. I think she's probably a little shy around toms, though she would never like to admit it. She's always giving me advice on ways to flirt with Plato and get his attention because, as she reminds all of us, she's an expert.

Electra doesn't always give the best advice. Just a few days ago we were all playing with a fluffy pink ball that jingles that Etcetera brought to the junkyard from her home. I was having a lot of fun chasing the ball and was delighted by the jungling sound it made whenever I hit it. However, Electra, who bores easily, quickly tired of it and thought of something she finds far more interesting: flirting.

When the ball rolled over to Electra, her turn to hit it, she only picked it up and smiled. With a glance to her side she watched Pouncival and Plato walking by. With a flick of her paw the queen beckoned me over to her.

"I have an ingenius idea for something that will _really_ get Plato's attention," she said with a knowing smile and a giggle. I wanted to continue playing with the ball instead of following one of Electra's wild flirting ideas, but I decided to go along with what she suggested. If I didn't she might get mad and not want to be my friend any more. So I nodded and pretended to look curious as I listened to her plan.

"Throw the ball as hard as you can at him," Electra explained her "ingenius" idea. "Then he'll turn around and see you and give the ball back!" I was a little skeptical of how throwing a ball at Plato would be a good way to get his attention. It seemed a little desperate and like a bad idea, but if Electra said so...

I picked up the ball, bigger than my head, and chucked it as hard as I could at Plato to make sure it reached him. It reached him, alright. It also sent him awkwardly sprawling to the ground after it swept his feet out from under him. I ran over to him to make sure he was okay and saw him struggling to get up with the help of Pouncival. My mouth opened and closed and opened and closed several times with no explanation for the pair of toms before I waved apologetically and picked up the ball and scurried away to my queen friends before Pouncival and Plato could say anything. Electra earned a glare from me, though her and all of the other queens were laughing.

"Don't be mad," she said. "You got his attention, didn't you?" I was forced to only laugh along with them, though I was completely mortified by the whole experience. Electra doesn't always give the best advice.

* * *

Etcetera is by far the silliest of my five queen friends. She's a striped furball of energy all the time, rambling on and on and on. _Tugger this, Tugger that, did I tell you what Tugger said yesterday? _Yes, she's completely, head-over-heels in love with the Rum Tum Tugger. What a lot of cats don't know about Etcetera, however, is that she has a very sensitive side to her, too.

One day I noticed her sitting all alone on top of the hood of an old car with her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees, looking up at the sky with a forlorn longing in her twinkling eyes. I silently approached and sat down beside her, close by her side for comfort.

"Hi," she sighed with a weak attempt at a smile, the sadness still lingering in her gaze. I looked at her with concern, unnaccustomed to seeing her so upset. "I was just thinking about Tugger and... I guess I was thinking how I'll never be pretty enough or special enough for him to even notice me. At least not the way he notices Bombalurina or Cassandra..."

My heart ached to see my friend, who's always so lively and chipper, depressed. I know that she is constantly rejected by Tugger, but I never realized it even bothered her. If I could talk, I would have told her that she's beautiful and doesn't need the Rum Tum Tugger or any other tom to make her happy or feel special. She's funny and kind and unique enough on her own. But instead I was forced to only hold onto her and hug her as we sat on top of the hood of the car together, swaying back and forth together until she was feeling a little better. After that I've wondered if Etcetera's happy persona is always genuine, or only a mask to hide any sadness in her life.

* * *

Rumpelteazer is much more closed off about her feelings. Yes, she's loud and silly and rambunctious, but she rarely opens up about herself and her personal thoughts. Whenever the other queens talk about toms, Rumpelteazer laughs and jokes along with them but rarely contributes her own input about toms that she likes. She's a very private cat, though it's no secret that she loves to steal. Her greatest accomplishment in life is having stolen an entire cooked turkey from her family with the help of her look-a-like brother on Thanksgiving. It took them a few days to eat it all, and they gained at least a pound each, but they still brag about it to this day! Even though I would never dare to steal from my own family, I admire Rumpelteazer's bravery and atheleticism.

Rumpelteazer always picks up the best trinkets, too. She brought me to her hide-away before, where she stashes most of the things she's stolen with Mungojerrie, and it is a trove of unimaginable treasures. My favorite item of Rumpelteazer's is her collection of jewelry. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pins, all beautiful and sparkling, kept tucked away in a discarded juice carton. My eyes go wide in wonderous delight and a smile comes to my face every time I see them. The light tinkling noise they make when shuffled, the irridescent glow the gems give off, the smooth cool feel of the jewelry in my paws- it's all an overwhelmingly exciting experience for me.

After noticing how much I love her jewelry, Rumpelteazer even gave me one to me- a sparkly sapphire blue bracelet with a silver chain that fits perfectly around my neck. It's breathtakingly beautiful, and Rumpelteazer even told me that the deep ocean blue makes my light eyes pop. Afraid that Cassandra wouldn't want me to keep it, however, I hid it at home under one of the cushions in my family's couch. My paws itch to put it around my neck and wear it always, but it's much too formal to wear casually out to the yard. Instead I continue to wear my gemmed pink collar, which is surprisingly growing on me as quite lovely.

* * *

My new friend Jemima is the most thoughtful and kind cat I've ever met, but playful and silly at the same time. Her mother is Demeter and her father is Munkustrap, so she is also something of a princess in the junkyard. Everyone, especially the older cats, adores Jemima and raves about her goodness and beauty... and, yes, I'm just a little jealous.

Despite the spark of envy I have for her that I can't seem to suppress, we have a lot of fun together. Jemima is completely entranced by nature, though there isn't much of it in the junkyard. The simplest things can make her happy, though, such as a small flower blooming among the junk or a little yellow butterfly flittering by.

Two days ago I was walking with Jemima when we stumbled across an injured bird chirping and hopping around beneath one of the tall trees that surrounds the edge of the junkyard. One of its wings was awkwardly crooked and hung limply at its side while the other wing flapped frantically. Though many cats eat birds, Jemima and I are both accustomed to eating only cat food provided by our owners, and so we didn't just look at the pathetic bird as an easy meal.

Jemima, in fact, looked heartbroken over the little bird. Though she must have known there was nothing she could do to save it, the small queen still bent down and picked it up to cradle it in her paws. The bird, despite being the natural prey of cats and therefore inclined to be instinctively afraid of them, didn't even struggle or attempt to escape from Jemima's gentle touch. It quieted its chirping and stopped moving as it stayed nestled in her arms.

For the rest of the night Jemima remained with the bird, even after I left her side to go find something else to do. She cradled it and tried to feed it worms she dug up from the ground, though the dying creature refused to eat. When I returned to the tree before heading home with Cassandra for the night, I found Jemima asleep with the small bird still lying in her arms. I shook my friend awake, and her immediate concern was for the bird. It had died while she was sleeping and was now stiff and silent.

Jemima gently layed the bird on the ground and shed a tear over its dead body. Without a word she started to dig a grave for it as I joined in. We made a small and shallow hole where Jemima placed the bird with a handful of little daisies she picked nearby.

"Oh, Everlasting Cat," Jemima finally spoke in prayer, "Please take care of this little bird. Keep it happy and let it fly and eat all of the bugs it wants to. We pray that it's in a better place now." Everyone knows that only cats go to the Heaviside Layer, but Jemima still prayed for eternal life and happiness for the bird. She smiled softly and we piled the dirt back on to the grave where she placed another single daisy on the fresh dirt. I hope that someday I can be as giving and caring as Jemima, who always thinks of others before herself, even a little bird an inch from death.

* * *

Tantomile and Coricopat have become translators of a sort for me. Their gift for reading thoughts and having psychic insight facinates me. I don't even mind too much that they can read any single thought of mine, whether it's private or not. It's simply nice to have my voice and opinions validated.

Tantomile and I have become especially close. Coricopat is more reserved and relaxed than his sister, who has a much more fiery personality. She's quite competitive and determined, too, as I noticed when we all played canball last week. She's also the queen who's least concerned with toms.

I was sitting with Tantomile three days ago when the subject of toms came up. Electra, Etcetera, Rumpelteazer, and Jemima were all nearby fawning over the Rum Tum Tugger, who was dancing around and singing like a rock star. Tantomile and I both enjoy watching Tugger, but neither of us are the type to obsess like our other friends often do. We prefer to watch from a distance, though we both know we sigh over the gorgeous tom inside.

Plato, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus were also watching the maned tom, too. They've been trying to pick up on ways to act as cool as Tugger, who has almost every queen in the junkyard under a spell.

"So... you and Plato, huh?" Tantomile said in an attempt to spark up a conversation.

"What do you mean?" I thought. I perfectly well knew that she thinks I have a thing for Plato, but I avoided her question because I don't even know my own feelings. How is one supposed to feel if they like a tom? I think Plato is handsome and nice, sure, but how do I know if I have a crush on him? I'm not experienced with toms like Electra claims she is.

"I can read your thoughts, Victoria," she reminded me with a laugh. "And more than just the ones you want me to read." So she knew I was confused about my feelings.

"Tantomile, did you ever like someone?" I thought. "How does it feel?" It was a personal question to ask, but she owed me an answer since she can read every thought that passes through my own mind.

"No, but I've read the thoughts of those who do." With a laugh she said, "Their minds are so jumbled up, it's hilarious. Escpecially my brother, he gets so flustered he can't even _think_ straight when he's around the queen he likes." It's hard for me to imagine Coricopat, the ever serious and serene tom, flustered and crushing on a queen. I laugh with Tantomile.

"And Plato... he likes you. I don't think you have to be psychic to tell that," she added a little more seriously as she looked at the rust colored tom. Everyone always told me Plato liked me, but it was strange to hear a confirmation of it from Tantomile. Plato likes me. Since that day with Tantomile I still haven't figured my feelings out.

* * *

Most of my time in the junkyard I spend hanging out with my queen friends, but when I'm not with them I retreat into dancing.

There are two things the Jellicles love more than anything: singing and dancing. The whole yard knows I can't sing, and so I now have something of a reputation for the latter. I find that through dancing I can get out all of my frustration and bottled-up emotions. Dancing is a form of expression that requires no voice, and maybe that's what's so beautiful about it. I get nervous when a lot of cats watch me dance, though, and so I usually practice in secluded clearings well off from the other Jellicles.

One particular evening, however, someone did see my dancing. Yesterday my queen friends were all nowhere to be seen. With Cassandra gone and my crippling shyness preventing me from approaching any other cats, I walked off to find a place suitable for dancing. I found the perfect space, relatively free of trash with hardened dirt for floor, not too far from the main clearing of the junkyard.

I'm always a little hesitant when I first start to dance. I made only small movements and looked around often to make sure no one was watching. Soon after, though, I got lost in the dancing. The world around me ceased to exist for a while as I danced around the clearing. It didn't matter that there was no music to dance to, as I actually find it better to dance without music. Then the dance isn't restricted to match the song and can take on any form and express any feeling I wish.

I was so caught up in my dancing I barely noticed the black kitten beside me. When I saw him I was startled and I stopped, my arms still frozen partway in the air.

"No, don't stop," Mistoffelees said with a smile. "I was just watching." I shook my head and lowered my arms to my side as I became self conscious and slightly embarrassed. "You're really, really good," he said again, but I was still not convinced.

Mistoffelees took on a more mischevious smile as he began his own dance. His moves were energetic and acrobatic as he leaped all over the place. Several times he paraded by me and shook his head and hips back and forth with a grin, playfully encouraging me to dance, too.

I finally tossed my carefullness to the wind and stepped in to join him as I copied his moves. Instead of doing the graceful balletic moves I was used to, I sprang around and spun with Mistoffelees. I let myself go and found myself having a great time with him. We danced and laughed and made up our own silly moves.

When we were finally tired out and out of breath, we sat together on the floor of the clearing as we continued to smile at each other. He didn't say much to me, but he didn't really need to. We sat smiling in comfortable silence for the short time that was left of the night.

Before I left the clearing to head home, Mistoffelees grinned even wider and said, "That was fun, wasn't it?" I nodded and smiled again before I slipped away. Dancing with Mistoffelees made me feel so light and carefree. I guess my new friend's playfulness and mischevious ways let me relax around him to have a good time.

* * *

Tonight I leave with Cassandra out the small door in the kitchen as usual. We reach the junkyard after a leisurely walk and pass tonight's guard, Coricopat, on our way. I'm thinking about what I'll do tonight, maybe spend time with the queens, follow Cassandra, or dance with Mistoffelees again... I'm excited to see what this day will hold. I have a feeling, almost like the way Tantomile can anticipate some things, that something big is going to happen tonight.

I'm in for a surprise, however, when Cassandra and I reach the clearing and see a few of the Jellicles gathered in a tight group, gawking at something hidden from our view.

"What is so great that has them all staring like that?" Cassandra demands to know as she cranes her neck for a better view. She seems a little jealous that someone else is getting all the attention.

"New arrivals to the Junkyard," Jellylorum answers from beside us as she herself tries to get a better look.

New arrivals? This peaks my curiosity and I slip away from Cassandra to see the new cats. I use my small size to my advantage as I squeeze through the crowd. When I slip through Munkustrap's legs I find myself face-to-face with the new arrivals. I gasp upon seeing the familiar faces before me and wonder how it is possible that something so magnificent has happened. Stanley and Tiger, my brothers, are staring straight back at me!

* * *

**Next chapter will be pretty crazy. I don't want to give anything away, but something major will happen! So stay tuned for the next chapter coming out soon! Thanks to everyone who reviews, especially those really dedicated reviewers that review almost every chapter. THANKS! :D Feedback on these chapters is really encouraging, so don't hesistate to review! I really would like to know, too, what you all want to see more of: more of Misto/Vic, Cassandra, Cass/Alonzo, anything? It would be really appreciated. Anyways, thanks for reading (:**


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own "cats".

**I got a little carried away with this chapter, so it's pretty long (x**

* * *

"It's Victoria! I knew I could smell something foul," Tiger teases me, but he lovingly pulls me into a bear hug. Stanley joins in on the hug and the three of us hold each other. I feel tears of joy start to prick at the corners of my eyes. My brothers and I weren't especially close when I lived at home and they often teased me, but none of that matters now. We're family and we'll love each other no matter what.

I tenderly pull away from the hug and look my brothers up and down. They've both changed as much as I assume I have. They've grown and look stronger as well as less fluffy. Tiger is still bigger than Stanley and I, now a very sturdy kitten bordering on hefty. Like my dad, I think lovingly. He has yellow-green eyes that hold the same humor as always and bold orange stripes, his namesake, on a white coat.

Stanley is tall like Tiger, though he's much lankier with far more refined features. A fluffy piece of fur on the top of his head sticks up haphazardly and makes him look almost comical, though I remember him being a little more serious than Tiger and occasionally a bit of a goody-goody. Stanley always meant well, though. Like my mother's fur, his coat is a mixture of cream and pale orange and his eyes are two perfect circles of greenish blue.

"What are you doing here?" Stanley asks as he, too, looks me up and down. I'm probably not the same weak, delicate little kit he remembers me being as I recently hit a growth spurt and grew considerably. I'm still only up to his shoulder, though.

Knowing Stanley's question is rhetorical, I simply ignore it. I look away from my brothers for a moment to try to find Cassandra in the dissipating crowd, which lost interest in Tiger and Stanley shortly after I first noticed them. I feel bad for leaving Cassandra behind, but I see her watching from the distance with narrow, suspicious eyes. I beckon her to come and she reluctantly minces over to us.

"I'm Cassandra," she states icily, eyeing my brothers warily as she leans forward slightly to examine them. "Now, who are you two?" I wish I could have told Cassandra about my brothers before, but it's almost impossible to communicate things to her. There is so much that I would have told her otherwise.

"We're her brothers, of course," Tiger says and puts his arm around my shoulders, squeezing my neck a little under his strong grip. Cassandra crosses her arms and raises a skeptical eyebrow as she scans back and forth between the three of us.

"It's a pleasure," Cassandra finally says, though her tone would convey the opposite. "What brings you two to the junkyard?" I look up at my brothers expectantly, curious to hear their story. I'm dying to hear them tell me everything: how my parents are, where they live, what's happened to them over the past six weeks. I didn't fully realize until now how lonely I was without their company.

"We live just right up the hill!" Tiger exclaims as he points in the general direction of his house with excitement. He actually lives fairly close to Cassandra and I, mere houses away in the same neighborhood.

"We were just exploring tonight, I guess," Stanley says as he tries to smooth down the downy fur on his head in vain. "And we saw a few cats coming this way, so... we just followed. And here we are."

"A mixture of coincidence and pure luck," Tiger adds with a grin and a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"And your parents?" Cassandra asks, a bit of interest coming over her. I realize that I've never heard the brown and cream queen talk about her family or her parents before. Cassandra is rather private, though.

"Haven't seen them since we were adopted," Tiger says sadly, one of the few times I've ever seen him serious. "Me and Stanley here were pretty luck to be adopted to a new family together. We missed annoying our little sis, though!" He quickly becomes his goofy self again and ruffles my head fur. I stick my tongue out at him playfully, just as I used to always do. I wish I could talk to my brothers, to tell them everything that's happened... Wait! I can!

I run off and find Tantomile grooming herself on a tire, alone while Coricopat is still on junkyard patrol. Without warning I grab her by the paw and pull her in the direction of my brothers. She must be able to detect my intentions because she doesn't struggle and follows me willingly. When we get back Cassandra is gone, but my brothers are still waiting eagerly.

"Nice to meet you, brothers of Victoria. My name is Tantomile," she introduces herself in her soft voice. She gives a little nod of her head with a smile and a flick of her tail as examines Stanley and Tiger. She stares deeply into each of them, as if she's seeing straight through them. I'm used to Tantomile's little oddities, but I'm sure my brothers are a little surprised and confused by her mystic behavior and demeanor.

"I'm Tiger! How'd you know we were Victoria's brothers? We all know she didn't tell you." He laughs and vigorously shakes Tantomile's paw with a muddy hand. She detracts her paw from the handshake and looks at it with disgust. Tantomile is a huge neat freak and hates dirt.

"I'm psychic. You know, mind-reading, visions, that sort of thing," Tantomile explains nonchalantly as she occupies herself licking the mud off her paw with her coarse pink tongue.

"That's really cool," Stanley says and smiles shyly at Tantomile, who looks up from her dirty paw and returns his gaze. "Oh, and I'm Stanley."

"I know," she replies as her indifferent countenance is broken and a smile twitches at her lips, which eventually wins over. I haven't seen Tantomile smile that often, but her smile is very pretty and makes her look softer and more feminine.

In the next hour Tantomile helps me catch up with my brothers by translating my thoughts. They tell me how they were adopted only a week after I was by a young married couple with a baby. Unlike the Wilsons, their family seems to be pretty normal and gentle, I note grudgingly.

I urge Tantomile to ask Tiger and Stanley how home was after I left. I wonder if my family all missed me as much as I missed them?

"Mom was always real quiet after you got adopted by those people," Stanley says after thinking for awhile. "With us being her first litter I guess she was just really protective and freaked when you got taken."

"You always were her favorite," Tiger adds with a wistful smile. "We never really asked how she was feeling after that... but she seemed pretty sad I guess." I roll my eyes at my brothers, who aren't the type to discuss feelings. But from what I can tell my mom did miss me. In a forgotten corner of my heart I feel the ache from missing her. I miss her kindness, her laughter, and even the way she used to always lick me. It always annoyed me at the time, but now I long to feel the loving touch of her tongue carefully cleaning my fine fur.

"Dad missed you too," Stanley says. "He never really said it out loud, but he did. We all did." My dad was always a jokester and never took anything too seriously. He was often more of a playmate to all of us than a father.

I close my eyes and try to imagine my parents, but I can't recall their faces any longer. When I try to envision them all I can remember is a blur of features and colors. How could I have forgotten them so easily? I'm deeply ashamed of myself. What kind of ungrateful daughter am I?

I halfheartedly allow Tantomile to fill my brothers in on how I've been and how Cassandra brought me to the junkyard, but the whole time I'm searching for my parents' faces in my mind. Despite my distraction, it's really nice to be able to communicate with my brothers without having to practically play a game of charades.

And finally there's nothing left to say between us. After hours of spilling out our lives the four of us are all talked out.

"Who knew talking could take so much out of you?" Tiger says with a theatrical yawn as he stretches his arms in the air. "I'm up for a nap."

"I could go for one, too," Stanley agrees as he rubs his eyes, which are beginning to droop a little. I suppose I'm a bit tired myself, and the idea of a nap is enticing.

"I'll leave you three to sleep," Tantomile says. "My brother should be off his shift by now anyways."

"Bye, psychic queen!" Tiger says with a wave as he settles down on an unhinged door lying flat beside us on the junk pile. Tantomile raises her eyebrow and frowns a little at my large brother but waves back.

"Bye, Tantomile. Have a good night," Stanley calls to her, and he earns a rare smile and wave from my queen friend. She slips away without another word as Stanley and I lie down next to Tiger on the old wooden door to take a well-deserved nap.

* * *

The first sight I see when I wake up is a pair of large green eyes and a freckled face inches from my own. "HULLO!" Etcetera yells in my face. I jump awake and sit up to find Electra sitting in front of me, too.

"Sorry to wake you, Victoria," Electra apologizes. "Sleep well?" I nod slowly as I rub my eyes awake and stretch out my stiff limbs.

"That's besides the point, Electra! We wanna know who those two new hunky Toms are!" Etcetera squeals as she points at my sleeping brothers. My brothers... "hunky"? That's hardly the word I would use to describe them

"Honestly, Victoria, I don't know how you manage to get every tom. It's unbelievable!" Electra cries with disbelief. I shudder at her implication that my brothers and I are *romantic* with each other or something. I vigorously shake my head "no" with a look of disgust on my face.

I can practically see the wheels in Electra's head turning as she carefully looks back and forth between Stanley, Tiger, and me before she realizes the truth. "Oh! They're your brothers, aren't they?" she asks and laughs. I nod and smile with relief. The misunderstandings that can come from not being able to talk can be pretty embarrassing sometimes.

"Well you didn't tell us you had brothers!" Etcetera says. "And good-looking ones at that!" Her and Electra stare in an almost creepy fashion at my brothers while excitedly chattering and giggling. It would be hilarious if Tiger and Stanley woke up right as Electra and Etcetera were fangirling over them, I think with my own personal laugh.

I excuse myself from the two queens (they're still giggling and gawking at my brothers) and take a walk around the junkyard to think, mostly about my brothers and my parents. I like strolling and seeing what all of the other cats are doing sometimes, and it's nice to be able to unwind and contemplate things. I see Munkustrap scolding the Rum Tum Tugger, who is making a big show of not listening; Jennyanydots chasing after Pouncival, who is no doubt up to no good; and... Mistoffelees is up on top of one of the junk piles with his back turned to me. I'm overcome with curiosity and I climb up to see him.

Before I reach the top of the pile he turns around and notices me. "Victoria," he states with some surprise, though we only just saw each other yesterday when we danced together. I wave lightly and sit down on top of a discarded toaster to observe him as he practices one of his tricks. After a few moments he continues with his magic, a trick involving an old teddy bear that reminds me of Brenda's Mr. Fluffydoodle, only in better condition.

"I'm trying to make this bear disappear and then reappear," Mistoffelees explains. "But it's being _bear-y _stubborn!" Mistoffelees chuckles at his own cheesy joke and I join in, my wheezing mixing with the soft rumbling of his laughter. I can't help but think that he's kind of cute, in his own quirky way. He's not muscular and overtly handsome like Plato, but there's something special and unique about Mistoffelees. Something that draws me to him like a magnet.

"I figure that if I can make the bear disappear and reappear I can do the same with your voice. It's basically the same concept," he adds as he holds the filthy teddy bear away from him. His words lift my spirits and raise my hopes a little. Perhaps today will be the day I will finally have a voice, I dare to dream.

"Let me give it another try," he says. He sets the teddy bear down in front of him and glances at me over his shoulder before waving his hands dramatically over it. With one final wiggle of his fingers he thrusts his hands in the direction of the bear and exclaims, "Presto!" He looks more surprised than anything when the stuffed animal actually disappears with a little puff of smoke. I clap enthusiastically and laugh at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"I did it... It worked! It usually never actually disappears," he exclaims as he grins in my direction. For some reason his smile causes butterflies in my stomach. I look away from his gaze for a moment and blush. "Maybe you're my lucky charm," he adds a little more shlyly, still smiling and taking to rubbing the back of his head with his paw.

"Let's hope I can make it appear, now." Mistoffelees does the same extravaganr movement with his hands and says presto again, but this time nothing happens. He tries one more time to no avail. After his third try he shrugs and says, "Oh well. I made it disappear, that's an improvement." He smiles again, though he seems a little disheartened, and I nod. I wonder if he's thinking the same thing I am, though. My voice needs to _appear_, not disappear.

I look down and avoid Mistoffelees' eyes as my eyes water and I'm overcome with a feeling of hopelessness. I feel ashamed of how ungrateful and spoiled I must look, crying just because the trick didn't go right, and I try to swallow my tears. I was just so hopeful, so sure it would work out for me. Mistoffelees must notice my disappointment because he softly says, "It's alright, Victoria. I'll figure it out... eventually." Even though he hasn't had any luck in conjuring, I'm still grateful that he's trying.

And yet... a nagging voice in the corner of my mind tells me he's only helping me out of pity. I can't shake this feeling and I long to talk to him about it, but I decide to just forget about it. So what if he's only helping me because he feels sorry for me? Everyone else does, and I know he means well.

I put my head up and look into his dark eyes. I make a weak attempt at a smile and shrug my shoulders, but before I know it a tear finally escapes my misty eyes and rolls down my cheek. I quickly wipe it away and hide my face in embarrassment. I can't believe I'm actually crying in front of Mistoffelees! I've always worked hard to hide my emotions... suppress and disguise all of my frustration and low self esteem, but now all of my reserve is cracking.

I hear the black tom approach me and sit down on the toaster next to me. He hesitantly puts his arm around my shoulder to comfort me and, all of my shyness forgotten, I lean into him close enough that our sides are just touching. I rest my head on his shoulder a little as I let all of the disappointment wash over me.

Once I get a hold of my emotions and a new wave of embarrassment comes over me for crying so openly, I'm suddenly aware of how close I am to Mistoffelees. I flinch back and scoot away from him to the far side of the toaster. My queen friends would be furious if they knew I was backing away from a tom like this, but I'm not as comfortable with toms as they are. It's not that I don't want to be close to Mistoffelees, I'm just scared. I'm nervous and there are still butterflies in my stomach as I look over my shoulder at Mistoffelees sitting on the toaster beside me.

He awkwardly stands up and clears his throat in the silence that has fallen between us. "Well, I hope you feel better, Victoria," he says as he scratches his head again and tries to maintain his usual chipper tone. "I won't give up, I promise!"

This time my smile is more genuine as I stand to wave goodbye and scuttle off the pile of junk we've been standing on. I pause for a moment at the bottom of the pile and turn back to look at Mistoffelees. I see him still looking at me and we wave to each other again. I turn and trot away so he can't see me blushing or hear my heart pounding. He must think I'm some sort of emotional wreck, though.

What has come over me? I'm acting like Etcetera! I've never even really considered a tom romantically, unless you count the way everyone has been urging me to flirt with Plato, but suddenly I'm bombarded by feelings and a little confused by my attraction to Mistoffelees. I giggle a little in spite of myself. Maybe I am kind of normal after all?

Overwhelmed by the roller coaster ride today has been, I decide to find a private place where I can dance and live in my head for a moment. I walk and walk and walk in search of solitude, but everywhere I turn there seems to be a jellicle. Right now I just want peace and solitude, and in my search I eventually wander so far that I'm out of the junkyard.

I find myself in a narrow, damp alley with litter scattered everywhere from a trash can that's been turned on its side. The alley smells strongly of rot and urine. I know its not the most pleasant of places and Cassandra wouldn't approve of me being here, but at least I'm alone so I can clear my head in privacy.

I begin to dance on the cold, wet cement. My moves are slow and deliberate as I put all of my focus into balance and grace. As always, I lose myself in my dance and temporarily forget all of the events of today: seeing my brothers again, the disappointment of Mistoffelees' failure, and the startling realization of my feelings for him. I'm in my own world now where words mean nothing.

I'm suddenly alerted by a sound. Scratching and rustling. I'm snapped back to reality and my senses come alive. My fur bristles on end and my tail puffs up like a raccoon's.

_I'm not alone in this alley._

It could just be a mouse or a rat, but my whole being is screaming otherwise. I hunch back and my muscles tense up as I frantically scan the alley in search of the source of the noise. Who's there? What do they want?

My body stiffens with fear when I see three dark shapes emerge out of the overturned trash can. They crawl and slink closer to me, and I'm horrified to see that the disgusting creatures are mangy and filthy cats. I can't tell if their fur is naturally dark or just tainted with dirt, but either way they look menacing.

"Wot's this, now? 'Oo's this pretty li'l thing?" one of the cats purrs in a scratchy, sickening voice. I shrink further away, but my legs have abandoned me and I'm rooted in place.

A cat missing an eye comes so close to me I can smell his putrid breath. "Back off, this queen is mine!" He smiles and reaches out one of his paws to touch me. Before he can lay a finger on me, though, I quickly and instinctively strike out with my claws and slash him across the nose. His black nose is cut open by sharp claws and leaks out blood.

The ragged cat wipes the blood on his nose away and only laughs at my weak attack. "So the bi**h can bite, eh? Let's teach the li'l brat to play nice."

Him and the other dark toms start to creep in closer to me as they look at me like a piece of meat. Just before they reach me adrenaline pumps through my system and my legs begin functioning again, leading me to sprint off in the opposite direction toward the safety of the junkyard. I only make it about three feet before I run into a large, furry wall that I swear wasn't there two seconds earlier. I fall backwards into a muddy puddle and slam my head on the hard ground in the process. My head is pounding and my vision is blurred. I feel the back of my head and my paw comes back covered in blood, making me feel even woozier. Can I still run? Is it even worth it?

No, it's too late. The three mangy cats are looking down at me with smirks on their faces, laughing at my terror. Another tom joins them, a large ginger cat with wild, dirty fur and a sinister sneer plastered on his face. It's the tom who appeared in front of me just moments ago and caused my fall.

"Can we 'ave 'er, Macavity? Please?" one of the toms says. No one seems to notice my gasp of shock when I hear the name. Macavity, the evil cat Cassandra told me about, is standing right above me! My ears flatten and a hiss escapes my throat.

He thinks for a moment, examining me this way and that, before saying, "Maybe later. For now, she could be useful. She's coming with us." His voice is surprisingly calm, though every word he says is accented with a hiss.

"Alright then, if you think the runt is worth a bit." The three dark cats bend down to pick me up, and something inside of me must go off at this moment because I start struggling like a mouse in the clutches of a cat. I viciously use all of my energy to bite, scratch, and kick anything I can get a hold on.

A paw slams across my face, unleashing a stinging pain, and I stop struggling. Another of the toms whacks me in the head, in the exact place I had hit the concrete. Everything I see becomes even more blurry and my head feels like it's going to fall off. My eyes go droopy and I drift away from the alley, barely aware of my body being carried and dragged off before everything goes black. One thing is clear to me, though: Macavity and his henchcats aren't likely to let me escape with my life.

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**Thanks for all the reviews and the comments on what you all want to see more of! I didn't fit it all in this chapter, but next chapter will contain more. And next chapter won't be in the view of Victoria, but told from the view of many different cats. Say in a review what cat, any cat, whose view you'd like to see the story from! I'll write as many as people request, but Cassandra and Misto are already definites. And any other comments/critiques/advice/reviews/ideas make me happy! Don't be shy now (: Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 8, I

Disclaimer: I don't own cats

**So I wrote this chapter and it was twice the length of any of my other chapters (I got soo carried away again lol). So I split it up into two chapters, this one and the next. I think it flows better as one chapter though, so I'm going to call it chapter 8 part 1 and part 2. Anyways, enjoy!**

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The sky has gone from a deep midnight black to a saturated navy blue. Around 5:00, maybe earlier, I estimate. Definitely time to head home.

"Alonzo, I have to go," I say as I get up. We've been sitting on the hood of an old car for the last couple of hours, talking, laughing, fooling around. It's never a dull moment with Alonzo. We have fun with each other; nothing too serious though. I don't know if I could handle a relationship, or if any tom could handle me.

"The sun's not even up!" Alonzo argues playfully as he pulls me back down next to him. "Wait a few more minutes?"

"Let me go!" I say a little harsher than I intend to as I yank away from him. I stand up and look at the lightening sky again. "It's late."

"Aw, don't be like that, Cassie," Alonzo says as he grabs my paw again with a playful grin.

"Don't touch me!" I say, but my voice falters a little.

"What's wrong? I can't even touch my own queenfriend?" Alonzo laughs it off. It's aggravatingly hard to be angry at him. He's so genuine and easygoing and funny. Almost the opposite of me.

"Who says I'm your queenfriend?" I ask him playfully as I sit back down, surprised to hear him call me that. We've never talked about what we are to each other, and suddenly he's arrogant enough to assume I'm his queenfriend? Again, it's hard to be angry, though, even for me. And, yes, I like the tom. There, I said it!

"I say so. You, Cassandra, are my queenfriend. And there's nothing you can do about it!" Alonzo says flirtatiously. There he goes again, making me feel all bubbly inside and happy like some kitten.

"There's plenty I could do about it," I comment lightly. He looks at me for a moment, his facade of confidence faltering under the possibility of rejection, before I add, "But why should I?"

Alonzo laughs heartily and puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to his side. I resist the urge to flinch away and I allow myself to relax as I rest my head on his firm chest.

"How do you put up with me?" I ask him as I play with his fur and nuzzle against his neck. His fur is so soft and downy, almost like a kitten's.

"You're hot, so it's worth it," Alonzo says and laughs again. I shove him in the shoulder but crack a smile in spite of myself. "But, and I'm serious this time, there's nothing to "put up with" about you. You're the most interesting queen I've ever met. Smart, funny, caring, beautiful..."

"Awww, 'Lonzie likes me!" I tease as I smile and rub his cheek with my paw. "You make me sound like I'm actually a good person."

"You *are* a good person, Cassandra," Alonzo replies as he raises his eyebrows. This isn't true. A good person would be kind to others. A good person would be loving. A good person would be unselfish and giving and honest. I am none of these things.

"Yeah, right. I'm not convinced, Patches. But who am I to argue if you want to compliment me," I say. I slip into Alonzo's lap facing him and wrap my legs around his back. I drape my arms loosely around his neck as he places his own arms around my waist. We stay in this position for a long time, our eyes locked. Not only does Alonzo have a great body, but he has really nice facial features, too. He has these incredible blue eyes I find myself getting lost in, wishing this moment will never end.

"You're so sexy," Alonzo eventually says under his breath. I roll my eyes at his gross comment, which completely ruined the romantic moment we were having. Is that all I am to toms? A sexy queen they can fool around with?

"I have to go," I snarl at Alonzo as I move out of his lap. All this time, all of these feelings I've had, he's probably only ever cared for my looks. I feel like a complete idiot.

"Wait, Cass, I'm sorry! It was just a compliment!" Alonzo defends himself as he holds me down with him, though I don't put up too much of a fight. The hot feelings of anger and jealousy have subsided. I brush off my hurt and put on an indifferent mask.

"It's fine, Alonzo," I sigh, though a little grudgingly. I flirtatiously add with a wink, "Anyways, I was thinking the exact same thing about you." Here we are again, back to our flirting games. This territory is much safer for me, no strong emotion and attachment involved. No possibility to get hurt.

"Admit it: I'm a sexy beast!" Alonzo jokes as he laughs out loud and pokes me in the side. I join him in laughter and poke him back.

"I'm leaving, "sexy beast"," I say sarcastically as I get up to go home.

"Why do you keep going back to those humans?" Alonzo asks as he gets up, too, and turns to face me.

"Because they feed me, of course," I lie. As if those disgusting pellets they put in my food dish are the only thing keeping me around. No... I just know that they love, or loved, me, and that's a rare thing for me. Even my own mother didn't love me. "I have to go, really."

"All right, all right. I better see you tomorrow, though," Alonzo says. In a more serious tone he adds, "And, Cassandra, you know how I feel about you, right?" How does he feel about me? He thinks I'm sexy, I think he's sexy, we have a fun relationship. That's all there is to it, right?

"Sure I do," I smile with a wink, playing it safe. Alonzo makes me wish for something more, though, a real, steady relationship. I hate him sometimes for making me feel so needy and childish all the time with my feelings.

"But, seriously, Cassandra, I really care about you. And you're more to me than a someone I can fool around with. I was serious when I said I wanted you to be my queenfriend," he says as he takes both of my hands in his. Can I trust what he says, that he really does care about me like that? I'm reluctant to believe it since there is little reason for any tom to like me, but my kittenish feelings take over. Yes, Alonzo likes me, I think with a smile that bursts on to my face at the thought. And I like him back, as I always have. Before I turn to leave I reach up and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Goodbye, _queenfriend_!" he calls after me after I've walked a distance. I roll my eyes but smile and turn to wave to him. When I'm even further away I hear Alonzo yell, "Cassandra is my queenfriend!" to no one in particular. I cover my mouth to hold in a giggle. Alonzo is my tomfriend. I kind of like the sound of that.

Now I just need to find Victoria. She's never very hard to find. The white queen usually just hangs out with the other kittens, qeens mostly. I head to the main clearing and see a couple of her friends, but she's not with them. Ugh, she is not making this easy on me. I look around more in the clearing and among all of the cats, but still nothing. I notice her supposedly long-lost brothers sleeping an old wooden door, though she's still nowhere to be seen.

A sense of dread and panic starts to seep into my chest, but I shove it aside and continue searching. She must be somewhere. I approach a couple of Victoria's friends, Electra and Etcetera. They're both annoyingly hyperactive 24/7, but they might know where Victoria is.

"Have you two seen Victoria?" I ask the two kittens impatiently. I hope for a short, simple answer, which is rare with those two.

"Oh, hi Cassandra!" Etcetera says. "I haven't seen you in a long, long time! Where you been?"

"Yeah, yeah, answer the question," I spit out. The kit has an attention span of about one second.

"I haven't seen Victoria since, hmmm... I haven't seen her since she woke up from sleeping and walked off," Etcetera answers. "We were talking about her brothers, over there, and they're real cute, aren't they!"

"Do you know which direction she went?" I sigh with impatience. Getting them to answer questions coherently is like pulling teeth! Thank god Victoria can't talk lest she be as crazy as Etcetera.

"Oh, yeah, I know! She went off that way," Electra says as she points away.

"Thanks," I mutter as I follow Electra's direction. I walk through the junkyard, pausing every now and then to scope around the junk piles, looking for Victoria. When I get my hands on that brat she'll be sorry. If I can just find her...

As I'm walking around I see Mistoffelees standing on top of one of the junk piles, probably practicing one of his little card tricks. I've seen Victoria with him before, so maybe he's seen where she's gone off to. I pick my way through all of the precariously piled junk to stand at the top of the pile.

"Mistoffelees," I say, "Have you seen Victoria?"

He smiles his dopey grin and nods. "Yeah, I just showed her a magic trick. She left about 10 minutes ago, maybe."

"Did you see where she went?"

"Yeah, she headed that way. I don't know why, though..." Mistoffelees says as he points. In the direction of his finger I see the path she probably took. A path that leads to the edge of the junkyard... not good.

"This is becoming a wild rat chase," I groan as I rub the sides of my head and close my eyes for a second.

"Bast, I hope she's not lost. I can help you find her, if you like," Mistoffelees offers with worry seeping into his typically cheerful voice.

"Fine. Come on." We walk on the path that Mistoffelees said Victoria took. We've still seen no sign of her white fur when we reach the edge of the junkyard. Just past the junkyard is a creepy alleyway, though. Oh, lord, please tell me she would not be stupid enough to go in there, please. I start to walk to the alley when Mistoffelees stops me.

"You don't think she, she went in _there_, do you?" he says as his black eyes widen to the size of marbles. He's such a naive kitten, wanting to believe Victoria's alright and everything's okay. I wish I could have the same attitude, but I know better.

"We won't know until we check," I say as I step into the alley. The first thing I see is a red pool of blood mingling with a mud puddle. I gasp and cover my face. It's Victoria, I know it! Hurt or captured or killed or dead or... Oh my god! I see a similar reaction across Mistoffelees's face as he takes in the sight of the blood. He clutches his stomach and his whiskers twitch in a frenzy as he struggles not to cry.

I've gone completely numb from the shock. Victoria... gone. Oh, it's all my fault! I should have never let her go off by herself. And what was _I _doing, just flirting away with Alonzo while Victoria was in danger? And what if I never see her again now? I was never really very nice to her. I mean, I'm never all that nice to anyone, but it bothers me that I wasn't nicer to Victoria. She liked me, maybe even loved me, and I only shoved her away. I should've been the big sister she deserves, not my moody, cynical self.

I hate thinking about the past, but for some reason my mind now turns to my own kitten days. I was one of 10 brothers and sisters, born in my mother's third litter. My mother never paid any attention to me, barely knew my name. I was alone growing up in that hellish place. Everyone always thought my brothers and sisters were just _so_ cute, the way they played and jumped around like little monkeys.

No one wanted me, the small runt was always content to just sit around. Until the Wilsons came along. They took me to a new home, and they played with me and fawned over me and loved me. The first time anyone had ever loved or cared about me. When I first met Victoria, I hated her. It was completely clear that I had been replaced by a cuter, younger kitten. Oh, and my family_ loved _her. They wanted to play with her all the time and they always looked at her lovingly, the way they used to look at me. In my jealousy I tried to keep my distance from the white queen.

But then she had to go and make me care about her! I didn't want to, I tried to distance myself as much as possible. And yet the little furball found a place in my heart, my heart that is so rarely open to love. It became my duty to protect Victoria from the dangers of the cruel world, and I've obviously failed terribly...

I fall to my knees and continue to stare at the blood, my mind moving an inch a minute and refusing to process the idea of never seeing Victoria again. There are no tears for the loss I feel, just deep, suffocating anguish and regret.

A sniffle from behind me reminds me that Mistiffelees is still here. I turn around and look at him- he's a complete mess. He's backed against the wall in shadow and covering his face with his paws as I see his head repeatedly shake from side to side in denial. Poor little guy. He always was a softie. He's never been very loud or outspoken, but I've never heard the goofy kitten say one bad word about anybody. There's not a mean bone in his body, so for him to see that his friend is dead...

No, I shouldn't think like that! Now is not the time to be my normal pessimistic self. If Victoria is alive, I need to move quickly to find her. I frantically check all over the alley and the street just outside of it, but there's no sign of her other than a few more scattered drops of blood. I desperately need help. I have to go back to the junkyard and tell everyone, form a search party, look everywhere. I stumble away from the alley with Mistoffelees, who is still shaken up and in tearful shock, and head down the path back to the junkyard.

"We have to go tell the others," I let Mistoffelees know, trying to sound confident and in charge though my voice is unconsciously shaking.

"Tantomile, Coricopat, maybe... maybe they might...help" Mistoffelees struggles to say through his emotion. "We have to try," he says determinately with more vigor and force in his voice.

"What could those freaks possibly do?" I rebuttal with a snarl as I let my frustration and emotion take over me. I don't have time to play games, I need to find Victoria!

"Cassandra, listen to me," Mistoffelees says with a hint of desperateness as he tugs at my paws. "They might be able to locate her with their psychic powers!" By this point we've reached the junkyard. I'm tempted to shove Mistoffelees away, to push him aside like I do with all of my other problems, and go find Munkustrap. But if what the kit says is true, we might be able to find Victoria a lot sooner. Its time that I trust someone else's decisions; I follow Mistoffelees to find Tantomile and Coricopat.

I've barely talked to the twins before, but every time I do I'm a little creeped out by them. They seem normal enough but the fact that they could read my mind has always been weird to me. My thought are private; I never cared to have them openly read like a book.

Even though I'm reluctant to meet them, there may be some truth to Mistoffelees' theory that they can locate Victoria with their psychic powers. And, if so, they're the best chance I have for finding her. We eventually find the pair of dark cats hanging out with Jemima, Tumblebrutus, and Pouncival underneath an outcropping formed by a dresser on its side in the main clearing. They're all laughing and talking like they're having a great time, completely unaware of the serious situation. Their jovial nonsense stops abruptly when they notice us approaching.

"What's wrong?" Jemima asks with concern as she sees the look on both of our faces.

"Victoria's missing," I reply bluntly, by now in control of my voice and expression.

"Missing? Did you check.." Tumblebrutus starts before Mistoffelees cuts him off.

"No, Tumblebrutus, she's gone. Really gone. We found... we found her blood," Mistoffelees chokes out.

"But, but maybe it wasn't her blood," Jemima argues weakly as her eyes widen and her lip quivers. I shake my head sadly and Jemima lets out a sob as she covers her mouth with her paws. The other kittens look shocked as they try to fully comprehend everything.

"No way..." Pouncival breathes, all of his stupid jokes and boisterousness gone.

"The point is, we need your help," I say as I look at Tantomile and Coricopat. "Do your psychic thing and find her."

"That could be difficult, even impossible," Coricopat starts shakily.

"If she's too far away we won't be able to reach her," Tantomile states, her voice still strong and confident whereas her brother's falters.

"She can't be far, she's been missing for less than an hour! Just try!" I yell at them. Why can't everyone just hurry up? Every moment we waste could be time Victoria spends being tortured or killed.

"Don't worry, Cassandra," Tantomile says gently as she places her paw on my own. Her soft touch calms me down a little and I let my breath escape me. I didn't realize how loud my voice had gotten as I spoke.

"We'll do our best," Coricopat says as he tries to get a hold of his nerves. Tantomile retracts her paw from my own as her and her twin prepare to mentally search for Victoria. The pair exchange a look and hold each other's paws. They nod and close their eyes in deep concentration. After only a few seconds of focus, they simultaneously open their eyes.

"Macavity," they gasp out in unison. "_He_ took her." Their previously serious composure is broken and they appear shaken and nervous, as if they saw a ghost. Macavity, Macavity. I should have guessed he was involved in kidnapping Victoria. I haven't had any personal experience with Macavity, though Alonzo has told me a little bit about him. Even so, only a sick, lowlife creep would kidnap an innocent queen.

"Is she alive? What did you see?" I demand the details from them. Now is not the time for them to be vague and mysterious!

"Where are they now?" Mistoffelees asks at almost the same time I bombard the twins with questions. The three other kittens also add to the noise with their own questions. Jemima, who is still very young and sensitive, is crying openly. Tumblebrutus makes an awkward attempt to comfort her, though she appears to hardly notice.

Coricopat shakily puts a paw up to silence everyone before continuing. "Her thoughts are all muddled and... and dark. I don't know."

"Victoria is definitely alive, but very weak. Probably unconscious," Tantomile concludes. I'm amazed that she can still keep calm in such a drastic situation. Doesn't she care that her friend is missing, that Macavity took Victoria captive?

"And? Where is she?" Mistoffelees inquires again with concern.

"It was very hard to get a read on it," Coricopat says as he looks at his sister and rubs his head, perplexed.

"Far. It's all unfamiliar to me..." Tantomile trails off as she appears to search through her mind again, though she looks disappointed and frowns when she is seemingly unsuccessful.

"Once Victoria regains consciousness it should be easier to determine her condition and where she might be. Her mind will be clearer then," Coricopat explains. _If_ she regains consciousness, he avoids saying.

"Maybe we should let her brothers know she's missing," I sigh as I look over at the pair of orange toms, who are both still napping a distance away. How ignorant they are, blissfully sleeping while their sister is in life-threatening peril.

"Those new toms are her brothers?" Pouncival asks curiously as he jerks his head to examine the distant toms. Leave it to Pouncival to be only interested in new playmates during a crisis like this. I roll my eyes at the tom's immaturity and juvenileness.

"Supposedly," I mutter back. All this time Victoria has had two brothers, two brothers who actually care about her. Funny, I was beginning to think of myself as something of an older sister to Victoria. Turns out I'm only an imposter; she has her own family who cares about her and misses her. Much more than I could ever say about my own family, cat or human.

"Why don't you go talk to them," Mistoffelees suggests as he looks at me. He's still noticeably upset and anxious, running his fingers through his headfur and twitching his whiskers.

"Because I'm _definitely_ the best person to break the news gently," I scoff sarcastically as I rest my hands on my hips.

"I'll go," Tantomile quietly volunteers herself. "I spoke with them earlier." As Tantomile picks herself up and slips away to where Victoria's brothers are, I take the opportunity to make my own escape.

"I'll go tell Munkustrap and gather people to go out and look for Victoria. I'll be back as quickly as possible," I let them know as I take off. I'm out so fast they have no time to even question me.

Everything is getting too crazy and overwhelming, and standing around won't help. If I tell Munkustrap he can gather a rescue party. I need to go find Alonzo first, though. He's second in command to Munkustrap, so he'll know what to do. Besides, he'll help me calm down; he can always help me escape from the rest of the world... and from myself. The reality in life isn't always so pretty.

* * *

Here is just a bit of Cassandra's backstory in case it was a little confusing and since it wasn't fully explained. The people who owned her mother were breeders of Abyssinian cats. She was often neglected because she had so many brothers and sisters from the breeding. She was in her mother's third litter, too, so her mom really didn't care that much anymore. She was put up for adoption and then adopted by the Wilsons while she was still a young kitten. Just wanted to clear it up a little!

**Next part of chapter out monday since I'm already pretty much done writing it. I had a lot of fun writing in Cassandra's view! Part two of chapter will contain Misto's view as well as several other cats. And it's not too late to suggest a cat who's view you want to see! Thanks for reviews, and don't forget to review this chapter :3**


	10. Chapter 8, II

Disclaimer: I don't own CATS. I don't even own a cat ._.

_Happy Memorial Day!_

**Part 2! This was actually a lot of fun to write. Probably my favorite chapter since I really got to go in depth with a lot more of the characters. Plenty of fluff too (:**

* * *

Tantomile

I volunteered to break the news to Victoria's brothers out of not completely unselfish reasons. I do want to help my friend, but I'm ashamed to admit I also want to see her brother Stanley. Reading his thoughts earlier today, I was surprised to learn that he thinks I'm cute and interesting. I have to admit I was thinking the same about him; he's a very good-looking tom, really nice and respectful too.

I've never received much attention from any toms before in the junkyard. The other queens are girly, outgoing, and flirtatious, easy targets for toms. And me? I'm a little more tomboyish. I've never pursued a tom or been pursued by a tom.

And now here I am, just desperate enough to take the opportunity to tell my crush that his sister is missing. I guess I forgot that no one likes the bearer of bad news. And it really is bad news. I'm scared for Victoria and concerned for her safety, but I also have the premonition that she'll make it out of this alive. She's a fighter; a shy, self-doubting fighter, but a fighter nonetheless.

I reach the place where Tiger and Stanley are sleeping, but I'm unsure of the best way to wake the sleeping pair. They're out completely cold, snoring and twitching in their sleep. I gently shake them both with a paw on their shoulders, but nothing happens. Just like my brother, always sleeping when I need him. Coricopat gives new meaning to the stereotype that all cats do is sleep.

I shake Victoria's brothers as hard as I can until I finally get a response from them. They groggily open their eyes, yawn, and sit up.

"What are you doing here?" Tiger asks me, though his clouded thoughts are still occupied with dreams of steak and wrestling. He's not the sharpest claw on a cat, but he means well. A little dense, but funny and clownish at the same time.

"I have something to tell you both," I say seriously. Their faces fall a bit as they seem to realize the gravity of the situation.

"It's not Victoria, is it?" Stanley asks frantically, obviously disturbed. He first started to worry when he saw that his sister wasn't sleeping beside them any more. "What's happened?" His mind is abuzz with concern for his sister. Time to tell them what happened. Like ripping off a bandage, it's best just to get it out quickly.

"Victoria is missing," I say as their minds explode with emotions. Sadness, regret, anger, guilt. It won't be easy telling them more, but they need to know. "Her blood was found in an alleyway. She was kidnapped by Macavity, but we don't know much else.

Though their faces are blank and they appear to be in a state of utter shock, I know from their distraught thoughts that they have fully comprehended what I told them. I can only imagine how her brothers must be feeling now. If anything ever happened to Coricopat, who's practically my other half, I would be completely devastated. It must be especially heart-wrenching that she disappeared now the day the siblings were reunited.

"Macavity?" Tiger finally breathes in a question. I forgot that as new members to the tribe they are unfamiliar with the Hidden Paw, though he's quite notorious among the Jellicles. I'm not sure how to gently tell them about Macavity without worrying them even more. How do you explain to two young toms that their little sister was kidnapped by an evil criminal mastermind with a hatred for Jellicles? Another bandage to yank off.

"He's a criminal famous in the junkyard. He's known for being sneaky and cruel," I explain as lightly as possible. This information sends new flashes of anger and worry through Tiger and Stanley's minds.

"We have to go after her!" Stanley protests, his jaw set with determination and his soft, blue green eyes hard with anger.

"Isn't anyone going to do anything?" Tiger yells. "Our _sister _was captured by some freaky evil dude!" I can understand their frustration, but I don't know what there is to do.

"Cassandra is organizing a rescue party right now," I inform them. "You two would probably be welcome to join them." They eagerly volunteer to join the others to search for Victoria. I can sense the desperation in them and the overwhelming desire to find her safe. Their love for their sister is so strong and clear, it's touching. Coricopat and I never openly talk about how much we care for each other; we take our relationship for granted much too often.

"Follow me," I say as I lead them back to the dresser where I was sitting earlier. I notice Mistoffelees, Jemima, Tumblebrutus, and Pouncival still sitting there, but my brother is nowhere to be seen. Where could Coricopat have gone off to?

* * *

Rumpelteazer

Mungojerrie and I had just finished a frustratingly unsuccessful thieving trip in a particularly shabby neighborhood when we saw that crazy old kook Macavity and a few of his henchcats carrying something. I was curious what it was; after all, it might have been something worth stealing if Macavity was bothering himself with lugging it around. I nudged my older brother and pointed to the group of toms. Mungojerrie took on a grin as we silently stalked the toms together to get a better look at what was being carried. I tiptoed along close enough to the cats that I could smell their disgustingly unclean fur. I may be a rotten thief, but at least I don't smell like one!

We clung to the shadows until we were just close enough to see what they were carrying. The white fur was unmistakable. Those lowlifes were carrying Victoria like a sack of potatoes! I always knew that queen would get into trouble; she's much too pretty and innocent for her own good.

But what was I supposed to do? I supposed I could have tried to attack Macavity and the henchcats, but I preferred an option that didn't include the high risk of death. I stopped Mungojerrie with my paw so we could talk, though I continued to keep an eye on where Macavity was going.

"Ya saw Vic back there, too, di'n't ya?" Mungojerrie whispered. He seemed especially tense as he wrung his hands together and glanced around nervously. He's done business with Macavity before, so he's wise enough to know he's not a cat you want to cross. Downright nasty, that one.

"Course. We 'ave ta go tell tha other Jellicles," I whispered back fiercely.

"Wot we really gotta do is follow 'em!" he said as he pointed to the group. "It's not much 'elp ta just say she wos 'napped!" Mungojerrie of all cats should know how dangerous it would be to follow Macavity. He's got eyes and ears everywhere, and not just on his face if you know what I mean.

"An' wot could we possibly do, Jer? Rob 'em ta death?" I argued back. If we could only tell Munkustrap, I thought, the other Jellicles would take care of everything and it would all turn out all right. Mungojerrie and I aren't exactly the hero types to deal with those sorts of things.

"Oi 'ave an idea!" Mungojerrie exclaimed with a grin. "Yoo go folla Macavity, an' Oi will go back to tha junkyard ta tell everyone! It's tha best a' both worlds!" _Me_ follow Macavity? Is he on catnip?

"No!" I whined loudly in protest. "_Yoo_ folla Macavity an' _Oi_ will go warn everyone! Don' be such a coward, givin' your li'l sistah tha dangerous job."

"Oh, foine! But don' expect me ta foight 'im or anythin' loike that," Mungojerrie huffed as he took off in the same direction as Macavity and his gang. I watched him creep along silently, an accustomed expert at being sneaky from all our robbing. If I weren't in such a tizzy I might have even been proud of my brother on the account of being a hero and all.

And now I'm trying to find my way back to the junkyard, wherever it may be... No, I'm not lost! I'm just not completely positive that I'm going in the right direction, but I'm sure I can back track and find the right... yeah, I'm lost. Terribly and hopelessly lost. Mungojerrie has always been the one that's handled directions, not me. In fact, my older brother handles almost all of the things we do together. He leads, I follow.

What is it now they say you're supposed to do when you're lost? Continue to wander around until something looks familiar? No, that's not it. Put your hand on a wall and follow it until you find an exit? Nah, that can't be it, either. Ah, that's right, stay where you are and call for help!

I stop and look around at my surroundings. The street I'm on right now is more than a little shady looking, so calling out for help might not be the best idea. It would probably be safer even to yell, "Hey, I'm all alone by myself, come and kidnap me!" I walk by an old telephone booth with a broken window. If only I had a telephone to call the Jellicles...

That's it, telepathy! Maybe if I scream loud enough in my head and direct it at those psychic twins, Tantomile and Coricopat, they'll hear me and they can come and get me. I have to admit, it would be a little sting to my pride to have to be rescued. No point in being too embarrassed, though. I could certainly dig up some blackmail against the twins to ensure their silence if necessary.

Now to call them. I'm not sure how this whole telepathy thing works, but maybe if I just think real hard they'll hear me. I'll try contacting Tantomile first. We're not the best of friends, but we do spend some time together occasionally. I would much rather have her come and bring me back to the junkyard than her brother. Coricopat's so quiet and more than a little awkward. He acts so flustered all the time, too.

"Tantomile, are you there? Tantoooo?" I call in my mind, though I feel like a complete idiot. I'm not even sure if she would be able to reply in my head if she heard me. "Tantomile, can you hear me? If you can, I'm in some trouble. I got kind of lost, you see. Nothing big, just a little detour. Anyways, I was hoping you could come and find me and take me back. You can use your psychic powers to locate me, right? Well, anyways, you really got to come!"

I don't know whether she received my message or not, but to be safe I should try to contact Coricopat. "Um, Coricopat? Can you hear me?" I think real hard as I picture the aloof dark tom. I'm surprised when he replies right away.

"Rumpelteazer, you're lost?" I hear his voice echo in my mind. Though I'm not sure if it's possible to tell, he sounds concerned. Now since when has he ever cared? It seems as if he always makes a point of not coming within ten feet of me. You'd think I had cooties or something the way he acts around me, all stiff and nervous all the time. Do I smell bad, or am I hideously ugly or something like that?

"Hey! Stay out of my thoughts!" I think back. "But yeah, I'm lost. Do you think you can come and get me? I know it's a lot to ask but..."

"Yes. I'll be there as soon as I can," Coricopat "says" in my head. Odd. The tom must have something of a heart after all.

"Oh, well... thanks," I think. Oh boy, I think some of his awkwardness is rubbing off on me.

"I don't mind," his voice echoes. After almost a minute I'm convinced he's left when he quickly adds, "And sorry about reading your mind. It's a habit." Yeah, he better be sorry! And I don't even care if he hears this! My thoughts are of my own privacy, thank you very much.

* * *

Plato

Tonight's been pretty lame. Long, uneventful, and boring, just like my mom's lectures. My friends are probably off having loads of fun without me, and to make it worse half of the night Munkustrap's been making me do his chores. Only Munkustrap would make someone clean a junkyard; it's called a junkyard for a reason, there's _supposed_ to be junk!

I've been working in one the lesser used clearings, a small oval space with a reputation for being a couple's spot. Not only have I had to clear all of the junk away, I've had to listen to the mushy, gag-worthy conversations of cats romancing each other. It's all "You're amazing" and "No, you're amazing"! Munkustrap could not have given me a worse punishment for the trick I played on him. The ridiculous look on his face when he woke up to see a peke (only a stuffed animal one) on top of him was well worth it, though!

Even more unfair is that I got in trouble when Tumblebrutus and Pouncival went free. They were the ones who set me up in the first place! Just like they did with Victoria, the prettiest queen I've ever met. I remember my conversation with Tumblebrutus and Pouncival on the first night she came. I noticed her the moment she walked into the junkyard. It was kind of hard not to, she has that kind of allure to her that you can't ignore.

And later, when I heard that she was mute, I wasn't even put off... I still knew I wanted her. I remember elbowing Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, who were on either side of me, and saying, "What chance do you think I have with her?"

"Uh, dude, she's mute. She's probably totally easy!" Pouncival joked beside me. He was all talk, though, considering he's never even had a queenfriend. At least I dated Electra before, even if our relationship didn't last that long. She was way too clingy and jealous all the time.

"I dare you to ask her out," Tumblebrutus challenged as he gave me a little shove. He was also a lot of talk since he's had a crush on Jemima forever without ever telling her. But I was never one to turn down a challenge, especially one made my best pals. Besides, if I was successful Victoria would be my queenfriend. How could anyone be unsatisfied with a reward like that?

Still, it was much easier said than done. For some reason when I was around her I just got so tongue-tied and always lost my cool. And when you have a reputation as one of the suavest, coolest tomkits in the junkyard it's humiliating being unable to muster up the courage to ask a queen out, even one as beautiful as Victoria.

I wonder what Victoria's up to, I think as I pick up an old faded jewelry box that kind of reminds me of her. There's a little dancer in it standing tip-toe on a pedestal, as graceful as Victoria. I'll sound like a stalker saying this, but I've watched her dance a few times before when she thinks no one is looking.

Yesterday I was looking for some of the guys to round them up to play canball when I saw her dancing in a nearby clearing, one of the smaller and often deserted spaces. I didn't mean to stay and spy on her, but she looked so beautiful and angelic that I couldn't leave. I watched her for a little while when I noticed Mistoffelees approaching her. What? What was that undersized tom doing, I thought. Then he started to dance with her, and they were laughing and smiling at each other.

I felt so angry at Mistoffelees at that moment. Who did he think he was dancing with my queen? Er, my _future_ queen that is. What made me the most jealous was the way that the two looked at each other. I probably could've done the macarena right in front of them and they would've continued to notice only each other. Victoria has never looked at me that way.

I just have to try harder! I need to amp up my confidence, act extra cool around her, do at least 100 more pushups a night to bulk up! Then Victoria will be begging for me to go out with her, and she'll forget all about that Misto-fleas.

I hear footsteps approaching, a swift, efficient step. I look up to see Munkustrap heading my way with a hard look, his face marked by lines of worry. I would normally think he was coming here to give me even more work to do, but I can tell something much more serious has happened.

"Plato, Victoria's been kidnapped," he announces to me. Before I can even digest the information he continues, "I'm organizing a rescue party to save her from Macavity. We need all of the young, strong toms to come with us, meaning you. I'm sure you understand your duties."

I'm still shocked and numb from the news. Victoria... gone... hmmm... that's bad. Thus is my train of thoughts as I dutifully nod and follow Munkustrap, who remains astute. Everyone knows Macavity is evil and crazy, but I never thought he would stoop so low to kidnap an innocent and defenseless queenkit.

From my tangled thoughts an idea forms. If I save Victoria she won't be able to overlook my cunning heroism and she'll have no choice but to fall in love with me! Everyone knows that superheroes like Batman always get the girl! And Mistoffelees? No one ever cares about Robin, am I right?

* * *

Tumblebrutus

So. This is it. Macavity butt-kicking time. This would be a lot easier if I wasn't so terrified of the creep.

It was obvious I would join the rescue party Munkustrap put together given the fact that I'm young, strong, big, and what-not, but that doesn't mean I'm some big hero. I'm just Tumblebrutus, the tom no one ever really takes seriously. The one who likes playing sports and doing flips and being an idiot. I'm just me.

The only fighting I've ever really done is playfighting with some of the other toms, and even then it wasn't really my thing. Plato would always win anyways. I'd like to think I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I don't do so well in the love department either.

Jemima. Why is the only thing I can ever think about Jemima? She's pretty, yeah, but it's more than that. She's kind and generous and thoughtful and silly. All I've wanted since I met her was to get closer to her and, I don't know, be with her and stuff. I've tried to tell her how I've felt, but I always chicken out and turn to boring subjects like the weather. Now that I'm off to battle, though, I somehow feel that it's now or never. If something happened, how could I ever die knowing that I never told the queen I'm completely head-over-heels in love with how I feel?

The rest of the toms are getting ready to leave, so I take the opportunity to find Jemima. She's off to the side a little, still seemingly upset from the news of Victoria's kidnapping. I don't want to bother her while she's sad, but I've already gathered all of the courage I need to say what I need to say. Too late to turn back now.

"Jemima," I start as my heart pumps so hard through my chest I'm sure she can hear me. "I'm going with the search party now, you know."

"I saw," she says with a little smile. "Good luck to you." It would be so easy to mutter thanks and walk away right now to rejoin the group, but I'm determined to tell her, even if I sound like a complete idiot.

"Thanks, but... you know, I was thinking, and... you know, I might die today. You know, who knows?" I stumble lamely. "And if I die, I don't want to go without having said goodbye to you. And, well, I guess what I'm trying to say... is that I really like you. Like like you, that is."

Jemima stays silent as she looks at me with an unreadable expression. I take this as a bad sign, but there's no stopping me now as my words continue to come out in a rambling rush. "I've liked you for a really, really long time. And I never really said anything until now 'cuz I was scared to. So I just figured... it's something I need to tell you. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

Jemima remains speechless but stares into my eyes for the longest time. I'm relieved that I got everything out, but I'm terrified of rejection and worried that she'll hate me now. Eventually, though, a smile breaks on her face and she takes a step closer to me.

"I'm glad you told me," she says quietly with an even bigger smile on her face. I'm surprised but overjoyed when she closes the gap between us and gives me a soft hug. If I die today, at least I'll die a happy tom.

* * *

Mistoffelees

I may not be classified as a strong tom fit to tackle Macavity, but I didn't once think of the possibility of not joining the rescue party to save Victoria. Munkustrap was a little hesitant to let me go, but he permitted me when I convinced him that my magic could come in handy.

With me in the recue party is Munkustrap, Asparagus, Skimbleshanks, Pouncival, Alonzo, Tumblebrutus, Plato, and the two new toms who are apparently Victoria's brothers. Tugger wasn't interested in helping at all, surprise surprise. We would have brought Mungojerrie and Coricopat, too, but neither of them were found anywhere in the junkyard. Cassandra and Tantomile also tagged along with us, though. Tantomile because she can lead us to Macavity's lair with her psychic sense, and Cassandra because she insisted she come, and no one ever stops Cassandra from doing what she wants to do. The rest of the queens all stayed behind with a few of the older toms in the junkyard.

Our procession is agravatingly slow as we have to rely on Tantomile's shaky visions to keep us going in the right direction. Victoria is evidently still unconscious, so tracking her location is extremely difficult for the psychic queen. We've passed the unpleasant alley, which was hard to bear considering I had to see Victoria's blood again, and are now in a slummy part of town. I don't really notice my surroundings all that much; I just continue to put one foot in front of the other and think of Victoria.

I can't suppress the feeling of guilt I have for allowing her to be kidnapped. She disappeared mere minutes after I talked to her! I should have known something was going to happen when I saw her walk down the path that leads to the outside of the junkyard. In all of my density I figured she was just heading home for the night; after all, the sun was going to rise in only an hour or so. If only I had somehow made her stay with me instead of leaving.

I'm sure she would have stayed if my trick had worked! My magic can be so frustrating sometimes. One moment I can feel the power manifest in me, and then the next it's vanished like a memory you can't quite put your finger on. To make things worse, Victoria is counting on me to conjure a voice for her, a promise I made without thinking. I only wanted to make her happy, to see her beautiful smile, and now all I've done is made a hollow promise and likely dashed my friend's dreams.

The way I feel about Victoria... I've never felt that way about anyone before. When Victoria is around it's like she's the only thing I can focus on, the only thing that really matters. Despite the fact that she can't speak, her kindness and sparkling personality are as evident as the white on my face. Victoria captivates me and makes me feel light and happy and jittery all at the same time. I try to tell myself that it's only a silly crush, that she'll never feel the same way for me, but in the recesses of my mind I still dare to hope that someday my feelings will be reciprocated. But who am I to believe that she would ever love an insignifant and exceptionally small black tom like me?

Marching confidently in front of me is Plato- the epitome of tomliness. He has strength, charm, good looks, and Victoria's affection. It's a little hard not to be jealous of him, but I remind myself of how happy he must make Victoria, which is all that really matters. All of my feelings aside, all I care about is her own happiness.

I try not to think about the chance that we may not be able to save her from Macavity. That possibilty is too painful to bear. I've only known Victoria for a little over a week, and yet the idea of her dead or enslaved by Macavity is worse than anything I could ever imagine. I just don't understand how a queen so sweet and innocent and young could be of any use to Macavity and his henchcats. Unless... no, I don't even want to think about that.

"Any more signals, Tantomile?" Munkustrap asks as he trudges along determinedly. Though Victoria hasn't been a Jellicle for very long at all, Munkustrap's loving nature and dedication to his duty has pitted him in his mission to save her.

"I'll try to tune in," she says as her expression becomes distant and she stops walking. A few moments later she shakes her head quickly as if to slough off the vision. "She's awake. But her thoughts are still pretty muddled. I'm not sure if its because she's injured or weak or just very emotional, but something is hindering the signal. Still, though, the vision is clearer now. It's this way." She takes off at a trot down a narrow abandoned street and we all quickly follow her. She moves with much more certainty than before as she leads us in the right direction. All I can think, though, is that Victoria is alive and that we're closer to her with every step.

* * *

**Thanks for reviews, and please review this chapter! It was a little all over the place, yeah, but everything will all come together and make sense in the next chapters. No spoilers but there's a twist coming. So thanks to all the readers for... reading! :D**


	11. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own "CATS"

**Back to Victoria's view... and it's kind of depressing ):**

* * *

My eyes flutter open and I take in my surroundings, a little confused as the horrible memories of the night before flood back to me. I'm relieved to see I'm alone, though the room I'm in is dark and dusty. There is a rope tied tightly around my neck, and the other end is tethered to the leg of a rusty metal table. My paws and hind feet are also bound with rope. I tug at my binds for a moment before sighing and leaning back against the table leg.

My head is still pounding and my whole body aches, but even stronger than the pain is a feeling unfamiliar to me. Hate. I hate Macavity. I hate the vile henchcats who beat me. I hate myself for my own stupidity. And now I hate this cold and unforgiving room.

For the second time in my life I feel as if I'm trapped in a nightmare, only I'm old enough now to realize my mother isn't going to come and wake me up and rescue me. No one is.

I look down at my fur and take note of the way the fine white fluff is now brown from the muddy floor of the alley and marred with my own blood. I'm disgusting. I'm not sure if it's an act of vanity or an act of defiance, but I decide to clean myself and purge my fur of the impurities that bring up the painful memories of last night. The ropes around me make the process slow and difficult, but I'm determined to lick every bit of filth from my fur. When I'm finally finished my fur is as white and clean as ever.

Now I'm left with nothing to do but worry and wait for Macavity or his henchcats to storm in and hurt me again. I sit anxiously and try to gnaw through the rope around my wrists to no avail. Every little noise I hear makes me jump and causes my heart to pound out of my chest. Hours pass as the room slowly becomes even more suffocating. The bitter chill in the room combined with nerves make my fur stand on end as I wait and wait. Maybe this whole thing really is just a bad dream after all? I dare to hope that I may never have to see Macavity again.

What could Macavity possibly want from me anyways? I'm not strong enough to be one of his henchcats and I'm not important enough to disturb the Jellicle cats with my disappearance. I'm not even big enough to be used as food if it turned it out they were all creepy cannibals.

I try to stay alert and listen for any sounds, but I'm so tired. I haven't eaten or drank anything since before I left home for the junkyard. I haven't the feintest idea when that was, though it feels like ages ago. All I want to do is lie down in the comfort of my own home and sleep for a week.

Thoughts of my home are painful. Does Cassandra wonder what happened to me? She always warned me about "monsters", and now that I look back on it the only monsters she could have been referring to are Macavity and his followers. I feel like I've let her down now in being captured and not heeding her warnings. She must be furious at me for disobeying her. Maybe she's even a little bit happy I'm gone, though, I think sadly. She does always tell me I get in the way, doesn't she? I'm just a burden, an unnecessary annoyance, an extra headache.

But my brothers must miss me. We may not have seen each other for 6 weeks before yesterday, but it doesn't mean they don't love me. I know that they'll always love me the way that I'll always love them, no matter what. It stings to think that I was taken away from them again the very day we were reunited.

And Mistoffelees. We parted at awkward terms last night, no thanks to me. What must he be thinking since I disappeared only shortly after? Does he think I ran away? I'm ashamed of myself to remember how immaturely I acted when his trick didn't work. I guess I had so much hope and faith that he would be successful that the disappointment was too much for me. Still, I acted like a spoiled brat. Even worse, when he tried to comfort me I dodged away! How much he must hate me now...

I've had enough of my pity-party and self loathing. I just want to sleep and escape from the reality of my hopeless situation. The drafty room is suddenly very comfortable as I lean back against the leg of the table and drift into a dreamless sleep, letting my thoughts escape me for the time being.

* * *

The only window in the room is small and opaque, and so little light can filter in. Still, I can tell it's bright outside when I wake up. I'm not sure how long I was asleep; time doesn't have much meaning any more. I could have slept for a week and I wouldn't know the difference.

I notice that my head is no longer pounding and I feel much better. I only feel pain when I press it against the hard table leg. My body, too, no longer aches as if I went through the wringer. My tongue, however, is dry as sandpaper and my stomach is growling. I'm starting to think that I'll die of hunger or thirst before I even catch a glimpse of Macavity.

As if he read my thoughts, one of Macavity's henchcats prowls in through an open vent in the far side of the room. I recognize him from last night as the one-eyed tom I scratched in the face after he tried to touch me. He sees me and smirks as he saunters over to where I sit. As he comes closer I can see he's carrying a dead rat and an old can. My stomach rumbles greedily despite myself. I've never eaten anything other than store-bought cat food, but I'm beyond the point of being picky.

He stops about 3 feet away from me and drops the rat and can of water at his feet. Too far away to reach, I stare at the food and water longingly.

"Oh, are you a bit hungry?" the tom mocks me with a toothy grin. I'm enraged at the cruel excuse for a cat, but I play along and nod politely. "Well, what am I to do with this delicious meal right here?" He's speaking in a condescending, mocking tone as he looks around the room. I reach out for the food and he smacks my paws hard, causing me to yank them back quickly.

"Hey! Ya have ta say please first!" the mangy cat laughs, obviously enjoying teasing me. I'm stupid and desperate enough to try to say please, and, as usual, all that comes out is a wheezing sound. The henchcat is still too busy laughing to even notice, though. When he's done he looks at me expectantly. I'm scared by the mad glint in his eyes as a minute passes under his gaze.

"Don't feel like bein' nice and saying please? It's alright, we can find another method of payment," he growls as he scoots himself closer to me and smiles. I frantically back away as far as the rope will allow me, but I soon feel him close to me. He scoots his large, filthy body closer to mine and leans his face in very close to me. He holds me down with strong arms as I attempt to struggle, but it's impossible to hold him off with my arms and legs bound tightly.

"I would settle for just a kiss," he purrs and licks his lips. Just the smell of his rotten breath and the sight of his pointed yellow teeth makes me feel nauseous, and the idea of kissing him disgusts me. Even if it would save me from starvation or a beating. The tom isn't put off by my blatant look of disgust. "Pucker up," he laughs as he grips my jaws strongly between his paws. He forcefully pushes my face toward his, but before his lips can come near mine I jerk my head forward and head-butt him with all the force I can muster. It sends a ringing signal of pain through my skull, but my attack seems to have worked. He has stumbled back and is gripping his forehead in pain.

With madness glowing in his orange eyes he growls furiously and hits me hard in the face as I topple over. The tom cackles and looks down at me as I struggle to sit up. "I'll be back tomorrow," he says with more than a hint of insanity. "So you better be nice next time." On his way out he kicks the rat and can in my direction. The can rolls over and water spills out onto the ground. I ignore the renewed pain in my head as I desperately lap up the water from the dusty floor, not thinking about anything but my desperate thirst.

Once I've drunken it all I move on to the rat. Its ugly dark coat reminds me of the one-eyed henchcat... which should make eating it a little easier. I'm not quite sure how to proceed in eating the rat, but my hunger has quelled any hesitation and pride left in me. I tear at it and devour it in a matter of minutes despite the fact that it's the worst thing I've ever eaten. I arrange the little bones in a pile and push them away from my sight and mind.

I dizzily sit back down and think about everything that just happened. I was lucky to get away with only a hit to the face. I feel like crying right now, only there are no tears in me. I'm not considerably sad or upset, just defeated. For the hundredth time I curse myself for being so stupid to go alone to a dark alley in the middle of the night. I was just asking to be captured... and here is my punishment for being reckless.

I must doze off for a few minutes because I'm awoken with a start triggered by a creeping sensation. Crouching right in front of me is Macavity. I don't even bother trying to move away this time. I sit there and look at him openly, though I avoid the gaze of his cruel yellow eyes.

"I'm going to get right to the point," he says calmly, though there are impatient and sinister undertones in his voice. "You give me the information I want, or you die." The odds of living are not looking good for me considering I'm physically incapable of telling him anything, even if I wanted to. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, though I'm on the verge of breaking down and busting into tears. Be calm, relax, I tell myself. I can't stop my heart from racing a mile a minute, though.

"First tell me this: do you know who the Jellicles are?" Macavity asks. Should I be truthful? No, maybe he'll leave me alone if he thinks I don't know anything. Besides, I don't want him to harm the Jellicles. After some hesitation I quickly shake my head "no".

"Do you really believe I can't tell you're lying?" Macavity growls as he bares his teeth at me and unsheathes his claws. "Tell me the truth. I'm losing patience with you." I nod solemnly in response. "Good girl. Now, are you a Jellicle?" Macavity says. Am I a Jellicle? I'm not sure I even know the answer. Munkustrap _did _say I was a part of the tribe, so I guess I am a jellicle cat. I don't even bother trying to lie; I nod my head slightly.

"When and where do they have patrols in the junkyard?" he asks again. Though I haven't been part of the tribe for long, I know the answer because Cassandra often visits Alonzo when he's on duty. There are hidden guards from sunset to sunrise, one in the entrance by the forest and one stationed on the tallest junk pile at the edge of the northwestern area of the junkyard. I wouldn't dare tell him this, though, even if I had a voice. I shake my head defiantly at Macavity.

"Answer me," he demands with impatience. It's easy to say that I'll be brave and die here with dignity, but I'm absolutely terrified right now. I'm not ready to die! This time instead of shaking my head I shrug my shoulders in hopes that he'll take it as an honest confession to not knowing about the patrols.

"So you "don't know"?" Macavity sighs sarcastically. "How unfortunate. I need information, and you need to live. What will it be?"

"I'm mute, you idiot!" I think. My frustration and fear is bubbling over inside me and my head is aching. I keep silent and look down at my paws, distracting myself by studying the intricate patterns of the rope bound around my wrists. Death can't be far now, but I'm not even brave enough to look it in the face.

"You must think you're so brave, not giving up any information," Macavity hisses. "You're only a fool. Do you think I won't eventually find out what I want to know somewhere else? I could always just capture another Jellicle cat, one who has lips a little looser than yours. I'll give you one last chance. Where. Is. The. Junkyard. Patrolled." His upper lip sneers as he says this and his tail swishes menacingly. I stay silent and shake my head with little vigor.

"Be ready to die then," he says with a growl as he creeps closer. My life doesn't exactly flash before my eyes, but I reminisce in the short happy time I've spent in the junkyard. It's a shame I'll never see it, or anything else, ever again. He raises his arm maliciously, ready to strike me with a deathly blow, when a voice suddenly stops him.

"Boss, we caught another cat," one of Macavity's henchcats suddenly speaks up from the vent on the other side of the room. Another cat? Please please please let it not be another Jellicle!

Macavity smiles wickedly as he stares right into my eyes. "Well, why don't you bring our guest in. We can all have a nice chat."

A few agonizing minutes later, time I spent avoiding Macavity's gaze and struggling against my tight binds, banging noises come from the vent. A tom with orange fur and shocks of black and white stripes falls out, all four of his paws bound, too, with a rope around his neck like a collar and leash.

"'Ello there, Vicky," Mungojerrie says with a sheepish smile. His eyes give away how terrified he is, though he tries to mask it with a cool demeanor. I haven't talked to Mungojerrie much before, but I'm still anguished to see him here. It was bad enough being tortured in this room alone, but now I'll have to watch another cat being tormented. And what if Mungojerrie gives up information about the Jellicles? I don't know him well, but he doesn't seem like the most morally sound cat.

"Found him nosing around outside," the henchcat gruffly remarks as he roughly pushes Mungojerrie down so that he's on his knees in front of Macavity.

"Mungojerrie?" Macavity cackles in amazement. "The weak, gullible kit I used to do business with? How could this get any better. See, queen, I told you I would get the information one way or another. And it looks like the perfect tom for the job came right to me."

"Oi ain't sayin' nothin'!" Mungojerrie loudly objects. "Oi ain't no criminal, not loike you Macavity!"

"We'll see how tough you are when I'm through with you," Macavity threatens with a snarl. He approaches Mungojerrie and hits him square in the jaw, causing the tom to release a loud "oof". Mungojerrie remains silent, though it only fuels the flames in Macavity. I look away as I hear him beat Mungojerrie, over and over and over. Tears pool in my eyes as I hear the hard thuds, every impact making me wince. How could Macavity be so cruel? I'd rather have him beat me up so I wouldn't have to hear another cat suffering and listen to the sounds of claws slashing through another's skin and the anguished cries. It's torture in itself far worse than anything Macavity could do to me.

Macavity pauses and pants for breath. "Now, tell me everything about the junkyard. Where the patrols are, all the weak spots, everything there is to know." I finally look over, though I regret it immediately. Mungojerrie is in horrible condition, and I'm surprised he's still conscious. He's covered in blood and battered with bruises. His eyes are dull and weak and lack their usual troublemaking luster.

"Is that... all ya got?" Mungojerrie hisses, almost like he's teasing Macavity and asking for more. This truly angers Macavity and he takes to beating Mungojerrie again. I bury my face in my bound paws and sob for Mungojerrie, who must be one of the bravest toms I've ever met.

"You're fools, both of you," Macavity growls after he's finished again. "You really think those Jellicles give a damn about you? You're nothing but a couple of worthless strays, street trash just like the rest of us here. If you join me now, you'll have your own place here with us. Our conquering of the Jellicle tribe is inevitable and you would be foolish not to take our side while you still can." As he's saying this he digs his claws underneath the rope around Mungojerrie and roughly pulls him to his feet.

"If ya're so great... then why 'aven't ya... 'conquered' 'em yet?" Mungojerrie manages to mock Macavity even in his state of weakness. He obviously has struck a nerve in the evil tom, because Macavity throws him across the room where he lands with a hard thud mere feet from me. The fiery red tom stomps over and ties Mungojerrie to the chair leg next to mine unceremoniously.

"Yet is the right word, my boy," he laughs. "_Yet_." After he says this we're all alerted by a voice coming from the outside, specifically by the wall with the small window. Though the noise was feint, I swear I heard a female speaking. Macavity's eyes harden and his ears perk up to listen.

I hear another voice, this one louder and male. He says, "How can we get inside?" Shortly after he says this soft banging sounds come from the same wall as if someone is trying to break in. Macavity smirks and dashes off towards the vent.

"This is _too_ easy," he laughs as he disappears. I am really confused about what's going on, though I know it can't be good if it makes Macavity happy.

* * *

**Sorry this is so short. I've been so busy recently with school, projects, finals, and swim that I've had hardly any time to write. Only two more weeks of school left though! :D  
****Thanks to all those who reviewed! And if you're reading this, review this chapter please! I love any feedback! (:**


	12. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own CATS

**Back to not-Victoria's view :3**

* * *

Mistoffelees

Tantomile's visions have grown increasingly stronger and clearer, which means two things. One, Victoria is fine. Two, we're getting closer to Macavity's layer. We're moving so fast now that I have to run to keep up with the others as Tantomile spastically bolts around corners and through narrow alleys.

I've barely even left the junkyard before, and so all of my surroundings are frightening and huge. Despite the bright sun of the afternoon there is a palpable chill in the air and a heavy blanket of mist and smoke over the town. The piercing screech of sirens can be heard at almost any given moment as police cars race through the streets. Skeleton-like stray cats watch us from corners like we're pieces of meat. The general creepiness that the neighborhood exudes convinces me that Macavity can't be far.

I'm worried Tantomile has lost her signal when she stops right in front of a featureless gray cement wall, but after taking a deep breath she turns and quietly says, "This is it. Victoria's inside." My heart skips a beat as I take in the building. It's large and angular with scattered graffiti marring its surface. All of the windows are boarded up except for a small opaque window on the wall in front of us. The building has obviously been abandoned for several years.

"How can we get inside?" Pouncival asks loudly as he goes right up to the wall and starts knocking on it, as if he'll find a secret compartment to let him in. I wince when I hear him speak so loudly in the open air. If they really are inside we have to stay quiet so we don't give away our positions.

"Quiet," I whisper softly as I put one finger to my lips and point my other hand at the building. Pouncival seems to get the idea and covers his mouth with his paw dramatically.

We all sit in silence as we examine the building. If Victoria and Macavity are inside, there must be a way in. We just need to find it. The only window that isn't boarded up is too high to reach, and it's too small to fit in anyways. The only door is solid and impenetrable with no cracks or spaces to squeeze through.

With an indication of his hand, Munkustrap directs us all where to go as we begin closer inspection. We have to be thorough in our search, something I'm actually quite good at. I feel around the walls and check for small cracks or breaks in the cement. I'm very meticulous with my searching, but I still can't find a single suggestion of an entrance.

After a long search around the perimeters of the building Munkustrap leads us away to a nearby abandoned lot where we can talk openly about a solution. Every moment, though, I can only think of the worst of what might be going on in Macavity's lair. If we can't save Victoria soon I'll go crazy.

"What's the plan?" Skimbleshanks aks Munkustrap when we're out of range in the lot. "There's no way in I can tell."

"There has _got_ to be a way in," Munkustrap says with determination. "If I know my brother it's concealed well, maybe even unaccessible without his powers." Munkustrap doesn't talk about Macavity in terms of brotherhood often, but everyone knows the two are half-brothers. Macavity was always the bad egg of the family, though, and it was no surprise when he turned rotten.

"What about the windows? Can't we just try to claw through the boards?" Stanley says, searching for some hope in the bleak situation.

"No way, look how thick that wood is! And practically the whole world would know we're there with all the noise," Plato counters. "Pouncival already did a good enough job of that."

"How 'bout the window that's not boarded, the one that's real small and high up," Tiger adds as he points to the window in question. It's the same opaque window I noticed earlier.

"You said it yourself: it's small and high up," Asparagus points out, always the practical one. "Even if we could reach it no one would fit."

"It looks more like a mouse hole than an entrance," Cassandra snorts. The space looks like it could only accomodate the head of a cat.

"It's the only choice we have," Alonzo says as he puts a paw on Cassandra's shoulder. "We have to reach the window. We can all act as a ladder to hoist someone up. It can't be too hard."

"That could work, actually. We need someone small to fit through," Munkustrap adds. All eyes immediately turn on me. Oh, come on, am I really THAT small?

"Me?" I ask, my voice squeaking a little without me meaning to. "I suppose I can try." If it means rescuing Victoria, I'll do anything. Still, though, going in alone and possibly having to face Macavity terrifies me. And to be honest I'm probably not the best prospect in a fight.

"But what about the rest of us? Don't we get to go and fight Macavity?" Plato asks eagerly. "I seriously doubt I could fit through that window." Plato would probably hate to sit out and miss any action. He's always been much more of a do-er than a thinker and is often brash.

"I can't fight Macavity alone," I remind everyone, but from their looks I'm sure they were already all thinking the same thing.

"You won't have to. We'll figure something out," Munkustrap says confidently, but behind his eyes I can see his frustration and worry. It's his job to protect the tribe, and any discrepancy has a big impact on him. The rest of the cats sit and mull things over as they try to come up with a strategy. Several ideas are thrown out, but none of them are any good.

"What we need to do is hide and wait outside. He has to come out at some point," Asparagus reasons.

"Let's all climb on the roof and stomp real hard to see if it breaks. The building's so old it looks like it could collapse any second," Tumblebrutus says.

"Let's just get some explosives and blow a hole in the wall. Then we can all walk in through the smoke all bad-ass and take down Macavity! He'd never know what was coming!" Pouncival suggests to a mass shaking of heads. Like I said, none of the ideas are very promising.

"I have an idea," Tantomile says, speaking up for the first time since we arrived. She's probably been inside her mind, everlasting cat knows what goes on in there. "The only way in is through the small window, as we all know. Mistoffelees is the only one that can fit, yes, but we all know he can't face Macavity and his henchcats on his own."

"Yeah, that's all been established," Alonzo cuts in impatiently. Tantomile silences him with a look as if to tell him not to interrupt. Tantomile doesn't usually waste her time on idle chitchat and talks very little, but when she does it's always to say something very important. She seems especially determined to say what's on her mind right now.

"Here's my plan. We'll get the strong toms to act as a ladder like Alonzo suggested earlier," Tantomile continues. Alonzo arrogantly grins and nods at hearing Tantomile's agreement to his suggestion. "Mr. Mistoffelees will look through the window and let us know what he sees. To prevent ourselves from being heard he'll communicate everything to me through his thoughts. With the help of the other cats I'll walk him through everything and keep him from running into Macavity. Once he finds Victoria and has her we'll send a rope out the window to hoist them both back up. It might be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure she'll be able to fit through too. If everything goes well we can save Victoria _and_ avoid conflict."

Tantomile's plan is very logical and sounds promising, though there are still a lot of "what if's" going through my head. What if I'm caught? What if I can't find Victoria? What if Victoria is being guarded?

"It's okay, Mr. Mistoffelees," Tantomile says as she turns to me after obviously reading my thoughts. "I got a read on Victoria and she's relatively calm right now. If Macavity were near she'd be much more, how can I say this... jumbled. Like, flustered and unsettled."

"Well, that's a relief," Cassandra mutters sarcastically. "She's perfectly calm after being kidnapped by an evil mastermind! He probably has her high and trippy off some catnip."

"She's not calm, per se, just MORE calm," Tantomile explains. In a quieter voice she adds, "You should have felt how she was earlier... she was more scattered than a jigsaw puzzle." A look of worry passes over Cassandra's face and her eyes dampen, but a moment later she's recovered and returned to her indifferent demeanor.

"Aye, the plan sounds good to me. But where do you suggest we might find a rope?" Skimbleshanks says, making a good point. Everyone looks at Tantomile for clarification, who thus far has seemed to everything planned and under control.

"A rope... Well, I was hoping Mr. Mistoffelees could conjure one," she replies. I'm sure I could conjure a rope easily enough, so long as it's nearby, but I have to do it quickly. We have wasted far too long trying to figure out a way to get inside and I grow more anxious by the second.

"I'll do my best." I set my arms out as I usually do before a trick. Yes, I can feel the buzzing magic pulsing through my paws. It's there without a doubt, I just need to harness it and bend it to my will. I raise my paws and slowly bring them together so that they're tightly wound against each other. I focus all of the power into the tight ball created by my fists and imagine a long, sturdy rope. After a few moments a tingling sensation passes through my fingers, indicating my magic has worked. I open up my paws and toss the rope out as it unravels and drops to the ground. I can't help but smile in happiness and relief at my accomplishment.

"Way to go, Misto!" Tiger says as he claps me on the back. I almost buckle over from his strength, but I grin as everyone else congratulates me. If only my magic always worked like that! Victoria would have a voice in no time.

"We're all set to begin then," Munkustrap says as he brings the mood back its earlier seriousness. He makes eye contact with every cat before leading us back to the building from the abandoned lot we've been in. Munkustrap indicates to Plato that he needs to be on the bottom of the ladder. As he's obviously the strongest (though not quite the biggest as Tiger has him beat in size by a little), Plato accepts his position and steadily holds the next on the ladder, Alonzo. The ladder continues with Tumblebrutus, Stanley, and Pouncival until the toms are a mere foot from the window.

It's my time to climb up now. With a hoist from Tiger I make my way up the ladder. The climbing is easy for a nimble tom like me, but all I can focus on the whole time is the task ahead of me. A lot of the cats just think of me as a quirky little kitten who likes to play around with magic and cause mischief, and to be honest I'm quite content at being just that. I've never been the hero type, and though I want to save Victoria at all cost, I can feel the extreme, daunting pressure of my task. Oh, everlasting cat, please let me not mess this up like I do with everything else.

I reach Pouncival at the top and steady myself on his shoulders to peek through the window. The opaque glass keeps me from seeing anything, so I slowly and gently slide it open. I finally look through and am astonished and floored at what I see. The room is barren and dark, but the only thing I really notice is the old metal table in the center of the room. Tied to two of the legs are Victoria and Mungojerrie, both looking as if they've been through hell. I let out a gasp and Victoria looks up at me. Though her fur is dirty and she looks tired and worn, her whole face is lit up by her beautiful smile.

* * *

Rumpelteazer

After what seems like forever, Coricopat finally arrives. I jump down from that crate I've been sitting on to land right in front of him. I've been tucked away in a small corner of an alley, sheilding myself from all of the ruffians and riffraff running about on the street.

"Wot took ya so long?" I demand from Coricopat as I cross my arms. "Oi thought _Oi_ was tha lost one." I probably shouldn't be so hard on him- he _is_ doing me a favor- but I'm still on edge from having to wait all by myself in the roughest part of the city. Oh, how Mungojerrie would tease me if he knew what a weak-willied little kitten I'm being, all shaken up about nothing.

"I'm sorry you had to wait here all alone," Coricopat apologizes as he looks down in shame. "Following your thoughts was kind of hard... I ended up backtracking a lot." Bast, I feel a bit bad now for making him feel so sorry. He was only helping.

"Di'n't Oi tell ya ta stay out of ma thoughts?" I say, though I'm a little gentler this time. I know, I'm going soft. Still, Coricopat just looks so much like a sad little puppy, so eager to please, that I can't help but be a little nice. He starts to apologize again for reading my thoughts, but I cut him off and say, "Nevamoind tha', we 'ave got to get goin'. I 'ave somethin' important ta tell ever'one!"

"Um... we already know. Victoria was kidnapped," Coricopat says bashfully.

"Tha troibe knows?" I exclaim, ignoring the fact that he must have read my thoughts once again. "An'? Did they save 'er?" There's no messing around with Macavity, so if they did save her it must have been at great personal risk. I wonder if Mungojerrie's alright since he followed the creep. I'm not too worried, though, seeing as 'Jer's always been able to take care of himself.

"Well, they left to find her," he explains. "From Tantomile's thoughts I can tell they're trying to save her right now." There isn't really much we can do now then, so we may as well return to the junkyard. What help would a thieving coward and a psychic wussy be anyways?

Before I can even take a step out from the small alley, though, I hear the sounds of paws passing by us in the street. I duck behind one of the crates and roughly pull Coricopat in after me. From where we're crouching we peek out of a small crack facing the street to see a procession of ugly tomcats led by Macavity. What could be going on? From our position I catch snippets of their conversation.

"What could be more perfect?" one of them laughs. "All of them toms come to save one little rat! It's just too rich!" The tom is cackling loudly and stupidly. I'd like to punch his face in, but I keep quiet and continue to eavesdrop.

"A dozen of all of the strongest toms in the junkyard all gathered far away! And no guards up, either! It can't get any better than this, can it boss?" another of the henchcats crows.

"This is the moment we've been waiting for." I can tell by the sinister drawl that the voice belongs to Macavity. "All of these years I've spent biding my time, plotting our takeover, today is the day we'll finally rule! An unsuspecting junkyard full of old and young ones, queens and the weak, all without their strong toms or "fearless leader"... this is our chance!"

"And to think we nabbed that queen thinking she'd only be good for a bit of info and a snog or two!" another henchcat adds with a laugh. "We can thank her later when _we're_ ruling the junkyard!" The last thing I hear is the laughter of the gang as their voices fade into the distance.

My heart has completely dropped into my stomach and I feel as if I've been slapped in the face. The entire junkyard... without protection... Macavity adavancing to take over... OH. MY. EVERLASTING. CAT. This is really bad, no, this is worse than bad! There's going to be a complete takeover of the junkyard we all love by the worst criminal known to catkind!

Coricopat and I exchange a look, both of us frozen in our cramped position behind the crate. The only cats who know about the ambush, the only two who might be able to do something about it, are a thieving coward and a psychic wussy. Oh sh*t, the 'yard is doomed!

* * *

**Short chapter, I know, but the story's almost at the climax! Aaannnd there's only one more week of school! :D Hallelujah! I'll definitely have the chance to write more often and get chapters out quicker in the summer. Sooo thanks for all the nice reviews! :) And if you're reading this, please review this chapter! Any feedback is really nice! c:**


	13. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Cats

**This is the longest chapter to date! It's amazing how much you can get done when you're procrastinating on studying :D**

* * *

Rumpelteazer

"Wot the 'ell ah we goin' ta do, Patty?" I finally break the heavy silence. Coricopat flinches at my words but makes no move of getting up.

"It's Coricopat," he mutters under his breath, obviously annoyed at my nickname for him. Even in the dire situation we're in, I feel like laughing out loud at his annoyance. For some reason getting under his skin is so fun! In a louder voice, sounding much more like himself, Coricopat says, "We have to do... something."

"Thanks, Oinstein, for tha' scoientific breakthrough," I joke. Aware of how close we're cramped together behind the crate, I finally stand up and work my way out to the open alley. Coricopat follows me in his weird slinky kind of walk. "Whoi don' ya get ya sistah ta tell ever'one troing ta save Victoria ta get the 'ell back to junkyard?" My suggestion is more like a command. I find I actually kind of like being the boss for once.

"That's a good plan," Coricopat states. He goes into his creepy zone where his eyes get all dazed out and he frowns. I sit and watch him, thinking about how odd he is. He hardly ever blinks, do people notice that? And what about the way he always cranes his neck like some sort of mental giraffe? And, and, his face... it's unsymmetrical! He's just so... so... alright, so he's somewhat good looking. But only slightly, and if you squint a lot!

Coricopat all of a sudden stops and blinks a few times, prompting me to ask, "Wot? Did ya tell 'er?"

"No. I failed." He looks pretty down about it, as if he's not used to being unable to reach her. "She must be preoccupied right now. It's only possible to contact someone if they're thinking of you at the moment, which she's obviously not." He seems maybe slightly hurt that his sister isn't thinking about him. I know the feeling. Sometimes I feel like Mungojerrie doesn't even need me there with him on our thieving trips. Like I'm just the annoying little sister that tags along.

"Wait... so if ya troi ta talk ta someone in your 'ead, they 'ave ta be thinkin' abou' ya?" I ask, the wheels in my brain turning. "Wot abou' when Oi contacted ya in moi 'ead ta come 'ere... can' we just do tha same thin'?" If I was able to contact Coricopat earlier when I got lost, he must be able to get his sister to listen. I'm surprised, though, when Coricopat looks down and frowns, his cheeks turning red.

"You were only able to contact me because I was thinking about you," he admits.

"Now whoi would ya be doin' a thin' loike tha'?" I question. What was there to really think about? The moral issues behind my stealing? The way he would act all weird the next time he saw me?

"You know... _because_," he finally says with a sigh. I guess that's the best answer I'll get out of him, so I leave it alone. I always thought of Coricopat as so poised and mature- when he wasn't acting like a ninny, that is- but it turns out he's hardly eloquent. I don't have time to worry about the sensitive inner workings of Coricopat, though. We still have to do something about the whole Macavity situation!

"Just troi ta reach your sistah again, real, real 'ard. It's impohtant, Coco! Tha fate a tha 'ole world rests in your paws!" I grab his shoulders with my paws and shake him as I widen my eyes.

"Coricopat," he automatically corrects me. "And while that's a little dramatic, you're right. I'll try again." Once again his eyes go distant and glaze over. I could probably wave my hand an inch from his face and he wouldn't blink an eye. Minutes pass by. I try to be patient, but sitting and watching a tom stare into space isn't the most exciting thing to do. Especially when you know that an evil creep is on his way to take over your home and enslave everyone you love. I think all of my jitters and anxiety are justified given those circumstances.

All of a sudden Coricopat's eyes snap back to normal and he tilts his head to look at me. "I did it," he states. "Everyone knows. They'll leave as soon as possible." I drape an arm across Coricopat's shoulders and give him a big smile.

"That's moi Cori!" I exclaim and I knock him on the side of the head. "Oi knew ya could do it!" He gives an embarrassed smile and shrugs. "Now it's ouh turn ta save tha day... let's go!" I run off down the street, ready to fight Macavity, kick some ass, impress everyone with my ninja skills...

"Um, Rumpelteazer, the junkyard is that way," Coricopat says, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Oi knew tha'!"

* * *

Victoria

I had almost completely given up any hope of making it out of Macavity's lair alive. I was defeated and lonely and scared, and while I had accepted the fact that I was probably going to die I was in no way ready for it. Mungojerrie was with me, too, but for once he didn't talk much. He was probably hurting from the wounds Macavity inflicted on him, but he didn't complain once.

Instead we sat there, waiting for nothing and expecting the worst. And what had seemed to be our only chance of escape, the voice we heard from outside, is gone. I can't help but wonder if the voice had belonged to a Jellicle come to recue me, and if Macavity left the room so abruptly to go kill them... all because of me! I spend much of the time on my knees, silently praying to God for their safety and for a miracle.

And all of a sudden I heard the inhale of breath coming from the side wall. I didn't know what I was expecting when I turned to look, but I certainly didn't think I would see a small white face peering down at me from the window. For a moment I thought that God had sent me an angel, but I soon realized I recognized the lonely face. It was Mistoffelees! He had come to save me!

And now just the small fact that my friend is here with me makes the whole world seem better. The cell is tolerable and my wounds are only slight scratches. I'm not hungry or thirsty or tired or scared; how could anything be wrong while Mistoffelees is here? I'm completely aware of the huge smile on my face, mostly because my cheeks are hurting and I haven't smiled once since being brought here.

"Are you two alone?" Mistoffelees whispers down to Mungojerrie and I as he casts looks around the room. He leans in further out the window so that his shoulders are also through.

"Ya, get us out!" Mungojerrie whispers back, though his whisper is about as loud as any cat's talking voice. "Mac left fah good! Probabley out 'unting up anotha kit ta snatch, tha' creep." God forbid that be true! No cat deserves to be in the same situation that me and Mungojerrie have been in. "'Is li'l minions are gawn, too." Mistoffelees turns around after hearing this and seems to be talking to someone behind him.

"Alright, I'm coming down," Mistoffelees finally says with little warning before he squeezes through the rest of the window and leaps down to the floor, where he lands perfectly on his feet. He walks over to the rusty table to stand right in front of us. I'm still having a hard time believing that he's actually here in front of me. It's all too good to be true; it's a real miracle!

Mistoffelees smiles shyly at me and reaches to my neck to untie the rope around it. His hands move quickly and nimbly, and soon enough my neck is free from my binds! I instinctively reach my paw up to feel the sore area where the rope was, and I stretch out my cramped neck as Mistoffelees works on freeing my limbs, too. When my arms and legs are free I rub my sore and stiff joints. I'm so happy I feel like hugging Mistofflees, but I quickly shake that thought out of my head.

"Are you hurt?" Mistoffelees asks me when he notices the marks around my wrists, neck, and ankles from the tight rope.

"Oh, Oi'm ollroight! Mac can't do too much damage ta someone tuff loike me! 'e shoulda known not ta mess with Mungojerrie!" Mungojerrie cuts in. Mistoffelees nods and smiles at Mungojerrie, but he looks to me for my answer. I shake my head, for I could be much worse. If Mungojerrie is fine, then I'm surely in great condition.

"Why are you here, anyways, Mungojerrie?" Misoffelees asks as he starts to untie the striped tom. I've been wondering the same thing since Mungojerrie was dropped here. It seems absurdly random that Mungojerrie had just happened to be hanging out outside of Macavity's lair at the same time I was being held hostage. It couldn't be just a coincidence.

"Oi saw ol' Mac carryin' Vic with a few of 'is scumbags, so Oi figured Oi should follah. It wos jus' a stroke a bad luck tha' one of 'is minions would see me lateh. 'Teazer di'n't tell ya any a this?" Mungojerrie says with a wrinkle of his brows.

"Rumpelteazer?" Mistoffelees asks as he cocks his head to the side. "Rumpelteazer wasn't in the junkyard when we left. We thought she was out with you." Mungojerrie looks very concerned and confused at Mistoffelees' statement.

"She tol' me she wos goin' ta tell ever'one at tha 'yard about Vic bein' catnapped an' all. Maybe she got back aftah ya all left?" Mungojerrie says. He seems a little worried for his younger sister, but I'm sure she's all right. Rumpelteazer strikes me as the kind of cat who can look after herself.

"That's probably true," Mistoffelees says comfortingly as he finishes untying the last knot. Right after he says that we hear another voice come from the window. We all look over to see Pouncival's head barely peeking over the sill.

"Code red! Code red!" he yells. "You guys need to get out here fast!" Mistoffelees stands and runs closer to the window after a rope is dropped down from it. He motions to Mungojerrie and I to follow him over to the rope. He sends me climbing up the rope first, and though it's very difficult considering my current condition I somehow find the strength to work my way up. When I'm about halfway up Mistoffelees urges Mungojerrie to climb, too.

As Mungojerrie begins climbing Mistoffelees yells back up to Pouncival, "What happened? Is everyone alright?" His dire concern for the others is obvious in his usually calm voice. As I get closer to the top of the rope I can see Pouncival's face more clearly. He looks uneasy and very unlike himself. There's no doubt in my mind that Macavity has something to do with it.

"We're fine, but... OHHH just hurry up! I'll tell you when you're all out!" Pouncival stammers. "It's bad though... real, real bad. Like apocalypse bad, only without all the awesome explosions and the whole world blowing up. You get what I'm saying, now hurry up!" I reach the top right as Pouncival finishes talking. The window is actually wider than it looks, so it's not too hard to squeeze through. I carefully drop out the window into Pouncival's arms, and the bright light of the outside is blinding to my sensitive eyes. I can see that Pouncival is on top of a tall tower of toms all balanced together.

"Hi, Victoria. How are ya?" Pouncival says. I blink and give him a small smile. It's nice to see another familiar face, even if it is Pouncival's immature one. He snaps back to his former frantic and urgent state and passes me down to the next tom. Just below him is Stanley! I latch on to my brother and hug him as I bury my face in his downy fur.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he whispers to me with a smile. Since he's holding up Pouncival he can't hug me back, but he nuzzles his head against mine before I crawl down his body to the next tom, Tumblebrutus. I don't know him very well, but I've noticed that he's always smiling and happy. Right now, though, he looks distracted and worried. Close to the ground now, I climb down Alonzo next.

"Way to stick it out, kit," he says with his charming grin. I return his smile as I cling to his strong arms for support in climbing. I lower myself down to the next tom, the last one on the ground. I step off and land, but not before noticing the tom on the bottom is Plato.

"Hey," he says with a nod of his chin. "I'm, uh, glad you're okay." I nod and give him a grateful smile, but I'm distracted when I see Tiger standing right next to him. I run to my brother and jump into his arms as I hug him tightly. I thought I would never see either my brothers again!

"Good to have you back, sis," he says as he returns the hug. He laughs and ruffles my headfur like always. From behind Tiger's shoulder I see Tantomile, Munkustrap, Skimbleshanks, Asparagus, and Cassandra. _Cassandra!_

I run over to the sleek queen and cling to her with all my might, and for the first time ever Cassandra returns my hug wholeheartedly. I was happy to see my brothers and everyone else, yes, but over the last few weeks Cassandra and I have grown to share a special bond. She's been there for me whenever I needed her, and she's like the big sister I've never known. And even as often as she gets irrated at me or snaps when I annoy her, I know that she feels the same way.

"All right, all right, that's enough hugging. Don't get all sentimental on me now," Cassandra says as she pushes me away with one of her usual sarcastic comments. This time, however, I can see her smile and wipe a tear from her eye.

"An' 'ow am Oi supposed ta fit through this?" I hear Mungojerrie caw from the miniscule window. Mungojerrie isn't a huge tom, but he's certainly no Mistoffelees.

Behind him I can hear Mistoffelees' muffled voice saying, "You can do it, Mungojerrie! I'll help you through." Mungojerrie's head and shoulders pop out easily enough, but the rest of him is trapped in the window. After a series of grunts and shouts of encouragement, Mungojerrie amazingly squeezes out of the window and falls unceremoniously on top of Pouncival. As he climbs down Mistoffelees appears next, easily slipping out of the window. He scampers down the ladder of toms to the ground, and soon after the toms forming the ladder break apart and join the rest of us.

"Wot's tha big fuss then?" Mungojerrie breaks the silence with his question. The atmosphere swiftly changes from rejoiceful to tense. Munkustrap, who's been pacing back and forth, suddenly breaks away and motions for everyone to follow.

"I'll explain on the way, but we need to get back to the junkyard _now_." His voice is filled with urgency as he leads the way through the twisting streets. Everything around me is unfamiliar and scary, and it seems that we must be miles away from the junkyard. Based on the pace that we're moving, however, the junkyard can't be too far.

"So wot's the story?" Mungojerrie asks again after we cover some ground. It's impossible to prevent the tom from asking many questions, but I'm also dying of curiousity to know what the emergency is.

"Tell them, Tantomile," Munkustrap says with authority and gumption. Tantomile, a very fast queen, has been effortlessly keeping pace at the front for the entire time, where the older toms have been running. I've lagged behind a little bit with the younger toms, and so I run faster to catch up and listen to what Tantomile has to say. While I am very curious, a sinking feeling in my chest forewarns that the news is of great consequence.

"Coricopat contacted me," Tantomile starts, a distant look in her eyes as if she's viewing a past memory through a patch of fog. "He saw Macavity and his gang moving through the streets. Him and Rumpelteazer overheard that they are planning to take over the junkyard right now while it's defenseless."

"Wait... why is Rumpelteazer with Coricopat?" Mungojerrie asks with confusion. Of all the things to ask or be concerned about, Mungojerrie only listens to the small detail about his sister! While his concern for her is endearing, there are more important things to worry about! If Macavity is planning on taking over the junkyard, _everyone_ is at risk. I shudder and feel queasy thinking about it. I've witnessed firsthand Macavity's cruelty... what would happen to everyone if he took over the junkyard? I instantly think of my friends, the poor, defenseless queens left alone, completely vulnerable to attack. We have to hurry and stop the attack before it's too late! I find new strength in my tired limbs and push forward faster, determined to reach the junkyard... though I don't know what use I would be to anyone if he was trying to take over. I would probably just get in the way.

Tantomile eventually answers Mungojerrie, saying, "It's a long story, but she got lost. Coricopat was out helping her get back to the junkyard."

"It figures tha' scattehbrain would get lost withou' me," Mungojerrie snickers affectionately. After he says this he seems to finally catch on to the rest of what Tantomile said. "So wot's tha big masteh plan 'ere? Ah we jus' goin' ta storm in and foight Macavity?"

"We'll do whatever it takes. There are innocent, defenseless cats out there... including my family," Munkustrap says. I didn't think about how the news must have impacted him. He must be terribly worried about Demeter and Jemima. "I should have seen this coming, I should have _known_ he would do something like this!"

"It's not your fault, Munkustrap. We were only thinking about saving Victoria, and we were at least successful at that," Asparagus reasons. It would have been better if they had left me with Macavity; at least then the junkyard would be safe.

"No. I know Macavity better than anyone, I should have seen it!" He continues to beat himself up about it, obviously distressed for the safety of the junkyard.

"The only way to solve this is to stop complaining about what might have been and just focus on getting to the junkyard!" Alonzo says. When things get tough he seems to just put his head down and keep going. Despite his casual, joking manner, he can really be quite serious, especially when it comes to his duty to protect the Jellicles. Still, though, Alonzo doesn't have any family in the junkyard like most of the other cats do. And for a moment I even have the fleeting selfish feeling of relief that my brothers and Cassandra are here and not in the junkyard.

"You're right, Alonzo. We need to keep our heads straight. But I'm not going to let this just happen either! Demeter's already been captured by Macavity once before, I can't lose her again! And now with Jemima... it would just be too much to bear if I lost either of them." Munkustrap's voice almost catches for a moment, but on the outside he remains stoic.

"Then let's cut all the chitchat and get a move on!" Alonzo says back. The toms all quicken their pace, and, completely exhausted, I fall again to the back. I'm running behind Plato, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus, and they must not notice me since I'm so quiet. I quietly listen in on their conversation as I continue to pump my legs like machinery.

"Dude, you completely blew your chance with her," I hear Pouncival say with a chuckle.

"It's not my fault the window was oh-so-convienently small! But you know, in a way _I_ was the one who saved her. I held up the whole ladder, remember? There's no way she didn't notice!" Plato shoots back. They must be talking about me, I think, a little embarrassed. I suppose Plato still likes me, though I'm not really sure why.

I turn my head for a moment and watch Mistoffelees running in front of me, his black head dipping up and down with every step he takes, a seemingly endless ball of energry. For about the billionth time I wonder how he feels about me. If only I had the power to read people like Tantomile does, to know what they're thinking...

"No offense, Plato, but Misto kind of outdid you. He crawled through that window like a complete ninja! It was pretty bad-ass, man," Pouncival replies. With a laugh he adds, "Did you ever notice he kind of looks like a ninja too? Haha, that's funny!"

"I'm so glad you're amused," Plato mutters. "What do you think, Tumblebrutus? Wasn't I pretty impressive holding up the ladder?" Tumblebrutus hasn't been saying much and doesn't hear Plato at first.

"What? Oh- yeah," he eventually replies, obviously distracted. He must be worried about his family at the junkyard, I think. The three continue to talk, but I tune out of their conversation when it turns to karate moves and various weapons they can use against Macavity. Instead I look down at my worn feet and focus only on putting one foot in front of the other, simply continuing to move along while ignoring my screaming muscles.

* * *

Coricopat

"Ah we there yet?" Rumpelteazer asks eagerly from beside me. I don't even bother to consult the thoughts of those in the junkyard for a direction check; I know we're not close yet. Besides, she made me check only two minutes ago. I didn't dare say this to Rumpelteazer before, but when she had gotten lost she wandered pretty far from the junkyard.

"Not yet," I say, almost forgetting to reply. When you're as introspective as I am it can be easy to forget that others can't hear your thoughts and you have to speak aloud to be understood. I don't even have to read Rumpelteazer to tell how anxious she is, though.

"Whoi don' ya troi to contact someone in tha junkyahd an' warn them?" Rumpelteazer says. "If Macavity gets there befoh us they'll be completely ambushed!" A good idea, yes, but it's easier said than done.

"I can try, but they have to be thinking about me for me to be able to communicate with them," I tell Rumepelteazer. I'm quite proud to say that my voice doesn't shake when I talk to her any more and I can form completely coherent sentences. My heart still beats like mad, though, and my face goes hot everytime she looks at me. I'm not even sure when it started, just weeks ago I started noticing and looking at her- staring, actually- all the time and thinking about her. It didn't take Tantomile all of two seconds to figure out I have a huge crush on her, and yet Rumpelteazer remains completely oblivious to the fact that I like her. It's probably best that she stay that way, though, considering she definitely doesn't even consider me as anything more than a friend, and perhaps not even that.

"Troi some a tha otha queenkits' thoughts," Rumpelteazer says. "They always 'ave toms on tha moind!" From what Tantomile tells me of the queens it seems like all they talk about are toms. Mostly the Rum Tum Tugger and a few others, but definitely not me.

"I suppose I could try. But I really don't think any of them would be thinking about me. I'm not what you'd call... the _coolest_ cat," I say, speaking the truth. I tag along with the other toms, but I'm much more introverted than the rest and I hardly ever talk to queens other than Tantomile.

"An' whoi woul'n't they think about ya?" Rumpelteazer exclaims in a cheerful voice as if she's trying to cheer me up. "You're, uh, noice enough. An', ya know, not a terrible eyesore." I suppose that's a compliment? "Oi'm sure plenty a queens loike you, Rico!"

"I don't think so... but it's worth a shot, though it may take awhile. You know, in case they're not thinking of me right at the moment," I reply. Rumpelteazer and I stop moving for a moment so I can focus my vision. I search through the inner cloud of my mind for any thought of me coming from the junkyard. I can sense many different emotions, many of them worry for the cats who went to rescue Victoria, and several random thoughts, but nothing on me. I'm about to give up when something grasps the corner of my mind. _Coricopat_.

I concentrate on the idea until it balloons into a thought. "I wonder if Coricopat is around. Can't find my knitting basket, he's psychic, could help me find it maybe..." It's Jellylorum!

"Jellylorum! It's Coricopat! I have urgent news!" I communicate to her as clearly as possible.

"Good heaviside, Coricopat, is that you in my head? What is the matter?" she thinks back. It's odd the way different cats react to mental communication. It's something I'm so used to, and yet many are completely shocked when they hear me in their head. I can see how they might get creeped out at it, though. Hearing voices in your head is a bit abnormal to the average housecat.

"Yes, it's me. I overheard Macavity talking to his henchcats earlier and he intends to ambush the junkyard with all of his toms. He's on his way over right now! You all must get out or hide, but don't try to fight. There's too many of them for the numbers you have, at least at the moment. But Munkustrap is on his way back with the rest of the toms, and they found Victoria and they're ready to fight Macavity!" It's probably more than I've said in my entire life, aloud or in thought. I hope Jellylorum catches onto the urgency of the situation.

"Oh, Everlasting cat..." she thinks. "I'll handle it, Coricopat, don't worry. I have to go now, tell the others..." Her mind turns to other thoughts, concerns for the welfare of others and frantic orders to the cats remaining in the junkyard. I can also detect palpable fear and hatred toward Macavity. I let go of the vision and let it fade away as I drift back to normalcy. Rumpelteazer is sitting a few feet away from me, giving me a very odd look that's a cross between disgust, fascination, and confusion.

"Ah ya back from the great reaches of tha beyond?" she asks with a laugh. I blink and nod in answer. "An'? 'ow did it work? 'oo wos thinkin' abou' ya?"

"Jellylorum wanted me to help her find her knitting basket," I admit with a sheepish smile. "So I told her everything. She said she'd get everyone in the junkyard to hide and take cover." Rumpelteazer breaks into a grin after I say this.

"It's a real good thin' ya di'n't get a 'old of Etcetera... she would be tha last cat Oi'd trust ta 'andle somethin' loike tha'."

"I just hope I warned them in time," I say. "Macavity could be there at any moment."

* * *

Victoria

I continue to follow the rest of the cats, lagging along automatically by now, until we reach a very familiar alley. I slow my pace a little and fall even further behind as the memories of that night rush back to me. The fear, the confusion, the humiliation... and the dried bloodstain still marking the pavement makes it all the more real. And like that night, my body goes stiff and cold. From my trancelike state I suddenly notice Mistoffelees appear beside me. He gently puts his paw on my back and gives me a small, comforting smile.

"It's alright, Victoria. He won't hurt you any more, I promise," he says gently as he nudges me along to continue running with everyone else. I tear my eyes away from the dried pool of blood and join him as we catch up with the rest of the group.

Now that we're past the alley, I fully realize just how close we are to the junkyard. It seems like it was ages ago I went down this very path, flustered and giddy from the crazy night I had been having, but I still remember it all very clearly. We hike up one last sloping pile of junk, and there it is: the junkyard.

* * *

**Another cliffhanger! As usual thanks for all the reviews! I love reading them all, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy (: Please review this chapter! It's nice to get feedback and to know things that you guys like/don't like so I can improve the story. **


	14. Chapter 12

Discalimer: I dont own CATS

**The battle, finally!**

* * *

Victoria

The junkyard is completely empty with not a single soul in sight. Not even Macavity can be seen lurking around. I'm certain there's more to this than meets the eye, though. With a sinking heart I think of all the possible things that could be wrong. Macavity could have already taken everyone in the junkyard, he could be waiting for us in hiding, they could all be dead even. I step over to Mistoffelees and stand next to him, trying to read his expression. He looks confused and shellshocked.

Our formation on top of the junk pile is finally broken when Munkustrap, closely followed by Alonzo, steps forward into the clearing. He stands in a defensive attack pose with his legs and arms spread out wide and his muscles tensed in preparation for action.

"Uh... where is everyone?" Tiger whispers to me as we carefully follow Munkustrap and Alonzo's lead down the junk pile. I think for a moment before shrugging, though the purpose of my shrugging is to ward off some of my own fears.

"Maybe they escaped," Mistoffelees sighs hopefully from beside me. It's possible, isn't it? But then, what of Macavity?

We all finish hiking down the junk pile and eventually reach the main clearing, which now looks strange and barren. It looks like a scene straight out of one of those Western movies my owners love to watch. An abandoned town with a stage set for a showdown... if only the villain would show himself!

Munkustrap stands up straighter and addresses our group, saying, "The junkyard seems to be abandoned. We all need to split up and-" He's abruptly cut off when a streak of red flashes by out of nowhere and tackles him to the ground. _Macavity_! I automatically shrink back in fear and Stanley puts a protective arm around me.

Alonzo makes a move to help Munkustrap and intercept Macavity, but out of nowhere again a ragged henchcat of Macavity pops out from a junk pile and barrels into the black and white tom. Many of the henchcats I've seen have been skinny and wormy looking, but this one is huge, strong, and looks well fed. Alonzo puts up a good fight, though, and thwarts the tom's attacks while Munkustrap fights his own battle.

A few of the other toms take initiative to fight Macavity and his henchcat, but they're all stopped when an army of Macavity's henchcats storms out from behind the nearest junkpile. There must be at least 20 of them! And though our group is strong, our numbers are no match for theirs.

The army wastes no time attacking us, and within moments there is intense battle and chaos. I stay with my brother Stanley, but when a nasty tom gets too close to us he leaves to join the fight, too. I know I should help my fellow Jellicles fight, but a combination of fear, inexperience, and cowardice makes me reluctant. Instead I back away from the battle and duck inside a doorless microwave.

From my position I watch the fight with terror eating at me, though it's difficult to jut sit by while my friends and family are rooted in a hopeless battle against the most evil cat in the world. Cassandra and Tantomile are out there, too! The slim queens are staying away from the core of the fighting, but every once in awhile I notice them throw a paw out at one of the henchcats. My cheeks burn in shame at my weakness and cowardice, but I remain in hiding. What use could I be anyways? And I don't want to experience the same hell I had to go through the past day or so.

The fighting is brutal. Our numbers are half of theirs, and while many of the cats in our group are young and inexperienced, Macavity and his henchcats are all trained and ruthless. I watch with despair as I see Tantomile fall, and Tumblebrutus, and then Pouncival. My heart skips a beat when I see Cassandra cornered by a seedy orange cat, but she is saved when Alonzo tackles the tom aside. My brothers are holding their own in the battle, too, working together and watching each other's backs as they fight off the mass of henchcats.

Most of my concern is for Mistoffelees. He's so small and gentle, I don't know how he would survive in a fight. I scan the crowd to try to find him, and after a while I locate the tom. He's crouching underneath a small table, hidden from the others, and swiftly striking at their feet from underneath, causing mass numbers of henchcats to fall. What a clever cat! He's using his size and stealth to his advantage!

I almost catch myself smiling until I notice one of the henchcats catching on to his trick. The tom, a brutish brown tabby, grabs the table and flings it across the junkyard, leaving Mistoffelees crouching exposed in the open. With little time to react, the brown tom unleashes a nasty backhand right to Mistoffelees' chest, causing him to slam hard against an old refrigerator with a sickening thud. _NO!_

The tabby adavances on a seemingly unconscious Mistoffelees, obviously preparing to attack him again. Before I know it I'm flying out of the microwave and flinging myself straight at the big tom. I rapidly bite him and slash at him with my claws in a fury, desperate to defend my friend. I don't even think about the danger or the consequences; I just continue to unleash all of my pent up rage on him.

The brown tabby swears and pries me off of him with difficulty. I left more than a few scratches and his chest is bleeding profusely, but I didn't cause any serious harm. And now he has me by the neck with a massive paw and is choking me far out in front of him. I try to struggle and fight, but he's crushing my windpipe. I can't focus right and my lack of oxygen is sending me into a panic. Just as I think I can't take any more a rock hits the henchcat in the side of the head, causing his grip on me to slacken so that I can breathe again. Standing up in front of us is Mistoffelees, looking angrier and more serious than I've ever seen him look before.

"Leave her alone!" he yells at the tom, standing up as straight as his short stature will allow. He has another rock in his hand and looks ready to throw it. The tabby only laughs, a cruel guffaw that sends shivers down my spine.

"Well, aren't you cute," he mocks Mistoffelees. "Here to save your little girlfriend, eh? Well don't worry, I'll make sure to kill you too once I've taken care of her." Mistoffelees throws the rock in his paw at the tom and hits him in the arm, though it doesn't seem to affect him at all.

"If you do anything I.. I'll kill you!" Mistoffelees stutters, a little bit of his bravery lost.

"Tell you what, I'll kill her nice and quick just for you," the tom growls. I barely have time to be any more terrified before he places one of his hands on my head and makes a move like he's going to snap my neck. And suddenly, before the tom can do anything, a bright flash of lightning shoots at him and hits him straight in the chest. As the tabby goes flying backwards, I squirm out of his grip and move away. The tom struggles to get up and grab me again when a second bolt of lightning hits him, though this time he fails to stay conscious.

I follow the direction of the lightning and see Mistoffelees standing a few yards away, breathing heavily with a shocked look on his face. He stares down at his paws in wonder before hurriedly looking up to see me. He dashes over with great concern plastered on his face. I put a paw on Mistoffelees' arm and smile at him gratefully. Despite the traumatic situation we just went through, he smiles his signature goofy little grin back.

"You're alright, you're okay?" he asks, looking me up and down. Other than my throat hurting a little from being choked, I'm completely fine. I nod before gingerly picking up Mistoffelees' paws and holding them palm up in my own. I examinw them and trace my fingers across them before looking back up at him. He shot lightning out of his paws! His magic saved my life!

"The lightning thing is new, huh?" he says with a little smile. I nod back and close his paws, holding them in my own. Our eyes lock for a moment, his deep black eyes meeting my own blue ones, and I almost forget that we're in the middle of a battle.

"Thanks for saving me," Mistoffelees adds as we move to the side a little. I shake my head and point at his chest, for HE was the one who saved ME. All I did was scratch up that tabby a little.

"It was the least I could do, you know? I promised to fix your voice... and, well, obviously that didn't work," he says as he looks down at his paws. When it gets down to it, I'd much rather be alive than have a working voice. Mistoffelees is one of the sweetest cats I know. He's always giving and thinking of others before himself, and despite his mischevious nature he can even be serious and thoughtful at times. I guess I can't control myself now as these feelings go through me, leading me to reach my paw up and gently touch his cheek. He looks surprised at my touch, but his initial shock soon turns into a smile.

"Victoria, I have to tell you.. I-" He's suddenly cut off when two henchcats come out of nowhere and leap onto us at the same time. The burly tom on top of me tries to subdue me and keep me down as I kick at him with all my might. I am tired of being the victim here! And just when I think I'm making progress, when I think I might be able to fight off the tom myself, he's lifted off of me. I'm left lying on my back in the dirt to watch Plato attacking the tom, who I can now see is really quite small and stringy. He stands no chance against the strong Plato, who easily takes him down. Plato wipes his hands on his coat after defeating the tom and comes over to me as I try to stand.

"Let me help you," he says as he puts his paw out to me and lifts me to my feet. I smile and nod at him in gratitude, even if I did think I would be able to handle myself for once. I look over Plato's shoulder to check how Mistoffelees is doing and I see him standing in smoke over the tom who had attacked him. He must have been able to use his lightning again, I think.

"Um.. I hope you're alright?" Plato says, snapping my attention back to him. I nod a few times in response. "Good, good. You really shouldn't stay here, you know, after the couple'a days you just had. It's not safe."

I know Plato is probably right, but I'm hesitant to leave the others again. Even if I'm more of a liability than a help, I feel the need to stay. I shake my head a little to show him my decision.

"Well, that's okay too I guess," he says. "Just be careful." After a few awkward moments he puts his arm around me in some sort of a hug before stepping away with a nod and joining the heat of battle again. Plato is a good tom- courageous, too- if not a bit immature though. I look away to where Mistoffelees was before and I see him standing in the same place, looking in my direction. His eyes look hurt, but he smiles at me nonetheless and gives me a thumbs up sign.

* * *

Mistoffelees

I was finally going to tell Victoria how I felt- I had the words ready on my tongue! So simple, I just needed to say, "Victoria, I like you." And at the moment I had even thought that she might have liked me back.

And out of nowhere, for I had gotten lost in my thoughts of Victoria and forgotten we were in a battle, a tom slammed into me and pummeled me into the ground. He made a move to hit my face, but I found a gap in his body and rolled out from under him. I stood up and glanced in Victoria's direction- she seemed to be holding off the tom who attacked her- and then aimed my paws at my own attacker.

The first time I had shot the lightning it was something that just happened. I couldn't really control it and it happened out of pure anger and fear. I hadn't the slightest idea of how to do it again, but the tom advancing on me was really good incentive for it to work again. Just before he reached me lightning escaped my paws again, hitting him and knocking him to the ground, where he didn't get up. Using the lightning is still a shock and even a bit of an adrenaline rush, so it took me a few moments to recover.

I looked over again to Victoria, but this time I saw her alone on the ground watching Plato conquer her attacker. With little effort he took the weasly tom down. I couldn't take my eyes away as I saw him go to Victoria and help her up. I knew it was none of my business, but I watched them talk. Soon after he gave her a hug before going back to battle. My heart sank at this and any hope I had had before was crushed. I shouldn't have let myself think that Victoria might return my feelings for her. I had forgotten about Plato, her brave hero tomfriend. A kind and beautiful queen like Victoria deserves a tom as strong, loyal, and handsome as Plato, not a puny failure of a magician.

And though it hurts to see her with someone else, I can't be too sad if she's happy. If he makes her smile and laugh and feel all weak in the knees, who am I to complain? Being her friend is a pleasure enough, though I know I'll always want more.

She looks over at me with her soft blue eyes and I return her gaze. I force a smile and give her a thumbs up. I'm happy for her with Plato, I tell myself. More happy than anything.

* * *

Jemima

The sounds of battle ring out clearly from my hiding spot. I'm huddled with my mother, Demeter, in a discarded cooler. All of us who were at the junkyard when Jellylorum received Coricopat's warning had enough time to safely hide away. And without a moment to spare, too, for soon after we had heard Macavity and his gang hiking through the junkpiles, not exactly staying quiet.

All of us spread out in various places throughout the junkyard to decrease our chances of being discovered, but my mother wouldn't let me out of her sight. Like Victoria, she was once kidnapped by Macavity, too, and from that time she's been terrified of him more than anyone, for she truly knows what he's capable of.

She continues to hold me close to her in the cooler even after we hear my father's voice and the sounds of an ambush. My mother trembles and winces but doesn't make a sound. The battle seems to go on forever, and with every passing moment I get more anxious. My dad, my friends, and all of my fellow Jellicles are out there! It takes all of my will to stay silent and crouching in the battered old cooler, but I do it for my mother's sake. I don't want to leave the space and make her worry for me, or to make her leave and face her greatest fear, the nightmare that's haunted her since her chidhood.

But peeking my head out of the cooler shouldn't hurt at all, should it? I only want to see what's happening, to put myself at ease. My mom doesn't even notice when I poke my head out of the cooler and look down at the clearing where the battle is taking place. I see three fallen- Tantomile, Pouncival, and Tumblebrutus! All my friends! And from my vantage point I can't tell if they're dead or alive! Now I _can't_ just sit here and let my friends die!

"I'm sorry, Mom, but I have to go," I whisper as I crawl out of the cooler. "I have to help them!" My mother shakes her head vigorously and tries to hold me back in, begging for me to stay, but I can't abandon all of my friends to hide and do what's easy.

I slip down the junkpile and scurry over to the battle. I guess I'm so small that no one really notices me, so I pass through unharmed. I know I wouldn't be any help in a fight, so I decide to try to save Tumblebrutus, Tantomile, and Pouncival. Pouncival is closest to me, and so I try to start dragging him away but he's far too heavy. But as I'm dragging him, I notice he becomes considerably lighter and I'm able to successfully move him. I turn next to him and see Demeter beside me, helping me move Pouncival.

"Mom? You're not afraid?" I ask as we come to a stop with Pouncival far from the battle.

"Of course I am, Jemima," she replies. "But you're right, we do have to help. It's what's right." I smile and give her a hug before turning back to Pouncival. He seems to be okay and even groans a little, though he has obvious wounds. I have no idea how to help him or what to do, but I turn my head to see all of the other cats who were hiding emerge and come over to me and Demeter. Even the Rum Tum Tugger is there, though with a huff he leaves to join the rest of the toms in battle. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum kneel over Pouncival and start to work at treating him.

"You're all here?" I ask them with gratitude.

"We firgured we should help," Electra says back. "I mean, I'm not going to fight or anything, but moral support is always good."

"We have ta go help the others!" Etcetera squeals. "Didn't you see them? They were all fighting and then, and then Macavity's henchcats came and.."

"Yeah, let's go," Electra says, cutting Etcetera off. The three of us sneak back into the battle and look for another of the fallen cats to take away. It's good to see that most of the cats on the ground are Macavity's but we eventually spot Tantomile unconscious and leaning against a scrap of wood. Working together we pull Tantomile away unnoticed and back to where Jellylorum, Demeter, and Jennyanydots are.

"We have to get Tumblebrutus now," I tell the others as we sneak back. We duck under all of the fighting toms and scan the floor for Tumblebrutus. We eventually find him lying in the core of the battle, so it will be particularly hard to get him out. The sight of him, hurt and unconscious, is especially painful to see. Tumblebrutus, who's always cheerful and joking, who's always been a good friend to me, and who even confessed his feelings to me. Seeing him stirs up anger in me at Macavity and his henchcats, and with determination I grip his side and start to pull him out.

Even if we're small and sneaky, though, being in the center of the battle is extremely dangerous, and it doesn't take long for us to be noticed. Seeing us as easy targets, I suppose, several of the toms start to advance towards us with murder in their eyes. It's hard to be brave now, but I think of my father and the means he goes to to protect the tribe. If this is what it takes, I'll stand my ground.

"We can do this," I say to Etcetera and Elcetra, but I notice that they're already fleeing. I'm left alone with an unconscious Tumblebrutus as three toms start to close in on me. I'm so tempted to run away like my friends, but I force myself to be brave and face the henchcats. Whatever happens, at least I'll be able to say that I tried my best to protect the others.

* * *

**To be continued! Thank you for the reviews! And, hey, don't forget to review this chapter! Reviews really motivate me to get the next chapter out sooner. And again, any perspectives ya'll want to see? :3**


	15. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I dont own cats

**I hope this whole battle thing doesn't seem too long. I keep getting too carried away! haha**

* * *

Jemima

The three toms all leap on me at once, but before they land I slip out from under them. They crash into each other in a pile, looking rather funny and out of place. I try to think of what to do when they get up, but my racing mind hits a wall. I realize that I have absolutely_ no_ clue about combat.

I decide to take on the defensive and pull Tumblebrutus into a safer spot while I plan my next move, and even though he's very heavy I somehow find the strength I need. I look up and see that the toms have all untangled themselves and look like they want to take revenge on me more than anything. I frantically scan around to look for something-anything- that could help me. The best I can find is a large metal soup spoon with a crooked handle lying on the junkpile nearest to me. I hold it and swing it like a sword threateningly at the toms, though I'm just improvising and have no idea what I'm doing. Who am I kidding, I don't belong in a battle!

"Stay back," I warn them as I point the spoon at each of the henchcats in turn. Not surprisingly, the soup spoon doesn't scare them in the slightest and they continue to advance towards me. One of them takes the initiative and swings a paw at me, but I duck underneath it and slide between his open legs. On the other side of him I give him a few good whacks on his hindquarters with the spoon, though all it does is annoy him.

These toms really aren't so smart, I think. A better plan starts to form in my head, a plan that involves taking the offensive by being on the defensive.

I hop right in the center of the three toms and taunt, "Hey, bet you can't catch me!" The three toms all rush at me at once, and I nimbly dodge aside so that they crash into each other. This angers them, and while they're still recuperating I leap onto the shoulders of one of them and say again, "Too slow!"

The other two toms rush at me again and slam their fists at me, but they only hit the other henchcat hard on his head when I jump off of his shoulders. The tom is knocked unconscious and falls to the ground, leaving two left. Two very_ angry_ henchcats left.

I'm all out of tricks and the two are coming at me at a sprint. Thinking fast, I roll backwards and stick my long spoon out, tripping both of the henchcats and sending them pummeling to the ground, where they don't get up. I just knocked out three grown tomcats all by myself. I don't think anyone will ever believe this!

I scan around the rest of the clearing to see how the battle is going. At least 10 of Macavity's henchcats are on the ground, leaving about half of them left. My dad is locked in a heated combat against Macavity himself, and the rest of the Jellicles are battling the other henchcats. With a soaring heart I note that we may have a good chance of defeating Macavity once and for all and ending his reign of terror.

* * *

Coricopat

"Teazeh an' Cori 'ave arrived!" Rumpelteazer yells out to the group of fighting cats, announcing our arrival. The junkyard has turned into some sort of field of war and is very frightening and unfamiliar.

"Rumpelteazer, don't be so loud! They'll hear us," I quietly warn her as I pull her down and behind some junk, away from all of the fighting.

"Oi think you're missin' tha point, Cori. They're _suppose'_ ta 'ear us. Ya know, loike tauntin' them!" Rumpelteazer says as she gets up again.

"But that will make them angry," I say back, getting up to stand in front of her.

"Really, foh bein' a psychic ya sure can be a li'l slow!" Rumpelteazer says. "We make them angry, an' then we kick their asses!"

"You're going to go out there and fight?" I ask incredulously.

"Now you're catchin' on!" Rumpelteazer says as she pinches my cheek. "Moi brotha's out there, an' so is ya sistah. We 'ave to foight, Cori!" When Rumpelteazer mentions my sister my mind goes into a panic. I've somehow forgotten about her, my other half, and haven't read her mind or checked on her in ages. I stop and search for her thoughts now, but I draw a blank. She's not responding!

"Something's wrong," I say, panicking. "Tantomile's thoughts aren't there!" The only thing I find when I search is a dense fog impossible to penetrate. It's similar to the state Victoria's mind was in earlier, only much worse.

"Oll tha moh reason ta go out there!" Rumpelteazer replies, showing some concern for Tantomile. I nod and walk with Rumpelteazer to the edge of the battle. Well, here goes. I see a henchcat and dive at him, initiating a fight. Oh, what did I get myself into?

* * *

Demeter

"Jemima?" I call out suddenly. My daughter had been right by my side only a second ago! Where could she possibly be? I turn to Jennyanydots, Bombalurina, and Jellylorum and ask, "Have you three seen her?"

"She was here only a second ago," Jennyanydots remarks without looking up. She's busy treating Pouncival while Jellylorum tries to revive Tantomile. Two more casualties of Macavity, only kittens, too.

I was never much of a violent or hateful cat, but I long to see the crimelord die slowly and painfully for everything he's done to our tribe and all of the pain and suffering he's caused over the years. I don't understand how a tom so evil can be related to Munkustrap, the most kind, loyal, gentle, and loving tom I've ever met. I refuse to let Macavity hurt my family, or anyone else for that matter, any longer!

"I have to find her!" I yell as I take off in the direction of the battle. "My baby's out there!" As I throw myself in the middle of the fighting I don't think of my fear of Macavity or how much danger I'm in right now. All I can think of is finding my daughter and saving her from the same fate of my own kittenhood. My little Jemima, such a sweet and compassionate little queen, mine and Munkustrap's pride and joy. The risk I'm taking doesn't matter... I would die for her in a heatbeat.

"Jemima! Jemima, where are you!" I call out as I dodge toms fighting and look for the small kitten. Suddenly I see Etcetera and Electra run by. I stop them with my paws and frantically ask them, "Where's Jemima? Is she okay?"

"Uh.. I thought she was right behind us!" Electra says nervously as she looks back in the direction they had come from. "These three henchcats were coming after us!" My whole body goes numb at this information... these are the words I feared hearing.

Without another word I dash off in the direction the two queenkits had come from. My mind isn't clear and I'm panicking in my search. I'm suddenly caught off-guard by a claw grabbing my wrist. I spin around and see the face that's haunted my nightmares... the wild mane of red fur, the toothy snarl, the searching yellow eyes. _Macavity!_

"Going somewhere?" he snarls as he yanks me closer to him and sinks his claws into my skin. "I believe we have some... _unfinished _business." He's referring to the last time we saw each other, when he had me as his captive. Munkustrap was the one who had rescued me, though much of the damage had already been done.

"Let me go!" I say as I try to yank my arm away, though his grip is too tight. "You're nothing but a coward, Macavity, picking on queens!"

"Well, I already finished off my dear brother. Who else is there to pick on?" he growls sinisterly. _No_, that can't be true! I turn to see for myself and the sight makes my heart stop beating. Munkustrap is lying on his side, unmoving, with blood coating his fur. NO! I let out a sob and stop struggling, my will to fight gone by the sight of my incapacitated mate. Macavity starts to drag me away from the junkyard, and, as if on cue, the henchcats all stop fighting and follow him.

"I may not have won this time, but I'm sure the Jellicles won't be too happy with me taking you," Macavity growls in my ear. I barely hear him past my own sobbing, thinking about my mate and wondering if he's alive. My whole body is suddenly jolted, however, when Macavity is knocked to the side. The first thing I notice is Munkustrap standing in an attack position, a fierce expression on his face. I back away and hide, but I cry tears of joy to see my mate alive and well.

"Don't ever touch Demeter again," Munkustrap growls as he paces around Macavity, ready to strike.

"I can't promise that," Macavity smirks and quickly gets up to assume a similar attack position. The two toms begin to circle around each other until Munkustrap finally strikes. He deals a hard blow right to Macavity's nose, causing blood to gush everywhere. Macavity tries to hit him back, but the abundant blood is blinding him and his attacks are slow. Munkustrap claws him in the chest, causing him to back off even further.

Seeing that he stands no chance against Munkustrap and the rest of the Jellicles, Macavity turns around and starts to dash away with his henchcats. To everyone's great surprise, however, he grabs the white kitten Victoria from the crowd of Jellicles and puts her in a choke hold.

* * *

Mistoffelees

One minute Victoria is sitting beside me, watching Munkustrap fight Macavity with fear in her eyes, and the next she's snatched up by Macavity at an impossibly fast speed. I'm stunned for a few moments as I comprehend what just happened. Victoria is being kidnapped _again_! Only I'm here this time, and I won't let it happen!

I stand up and easily charge my hands, ready to zap Macavity into smithereens. The red tom only smirks and holds Victoria tightly in front of him.

"Go ahead, shoot me," he cackles. Bast! He's holding Victoria in front of him so that any chance of hitting him would be too risky. It breaks my heart to see the manifested fear in Victoria's gentle eyes, the terror gripping her as silent tears fall down her face.

"Let her go, Macavity, or we'll kill you and all your henchcats," Munkustrap says as he stands not far from Macavity. Demeter is behind him and he stands protectively in front of her with his arms out wide.

"Kill me and you kill her!" Macavity snarls as he puts his deadly claws right up to Victoria's throat. Her lip quivers and she stiffens at the touch of his sharp claws. My stomach lurches and my body goes numb as I stand and stare, completely useless and unable to do anything.

"Macavity, we can talk about this. What can I offer you for her freedom?" Munkustrap says, trying to keep his voice calm under the immense pressure.

"Hmmm... how about complete control over the junkyard?" he replies.

"But that would be compromising _all_ of our safety!" Munkustrap says back.

Macavity only shrugs and says, "Your choice." Munkustrap looks conflicted, but ultimately I know that he won't sacrifice the safety of the entire tribe for the safety of one kitten.

"Ohh, this is the same queen I captured earlier, isn't it? The one who was so _reluctant_ to talk with me," Macavity says with a smirk. He strokes her chin with one of his claws, making her wince and drawing a thin line of blood. "It's not too late to talk, dear. Maybe I'd even let you go." He laughs, and from the way he's acting he seems to know that Victoria is mute and can't talk. What Macavity says gives me an idea and I start to gather a plan of my own. I don't know how well it will work out, or if it will even accomplish anything, but it's worth a try.

I start to do my usual conjuring moves, though I use far less hand movements than usual (those are mostly just for show). I steady my breathing and focus, shoving aside everything else to think only of my goal. I feel the magic flowing through my veins, more powerful and willing than ever, and I aim my paws out and shoot straight for Victoria.

* * *

Victoria

Fear is now something completely familiar to me, but I don't think I've ever felt it so strongly as I do now with Macavity holding me. The whole thing is even worse when he taunts me for being mute. And, once again, I'm completely helpless and unable to do anything to protect myself, vulnerable to whatever Macavity has in store for me.

I look up for a second and see Mistoffelees doing something very curious off to the side by himself. He's moving his arms and chanting under his breath... he's doing magic, I realize. And whatever that magic is, he turns and aims it straight at me! I don't feel the beam of light as it hits me; I'm only aware of a slight tingle in my throat.

"You missed!" Macavity laughs. "How pathetic! You missed and hit the girl instead!" As Macavity says this a strange sensation comes over me. The tingling in my throat gets stronger and I feel a strange energy pulse through my mouth. It's as if liquid fire is passing through through my throat and mouth, but as soon as it began it stops. Only I feel... different. Changed.

"He didn't miss," I say quietly. The feeling of words forming on my tongue is completely unfamiliar to me, and yet it comes completely natural. I can talk! Mistoffelees gave me a voice!

"What did you say?" Macavity asks, obviously surprised by my speech. He loosens his grip on me a little in his shock, and I take advantage of the split second he's put off guard to bite into his hand as hard as I can. He grunts in pain and immediately lets go, allowing me to escape his grasp and run away from him into the crowd. Without me as a hostage Macavity is left with no defense, and so the Jellicles all start to storm at him at once angrily. He wastes no time in escaping, and moments later he's gone. With a big explosion and a puff of smoke, him and all of his henchcats, even the dead or injured ones, have disappeared.

The first to break the silence is Pouncival saying, "Finally, an explosion!" He gets a couple of knocks on the head from the others, but everyone soon starts to rejoice. Many of the cats come up to me and congratulate me on a new voice. Unaccustomed to speaking, however, I answer all of them with nods and smiles.

On the inside, though, I can't help but rejoice. Ever since I was born the only thing I ever wanted was to have a voice. I just wanted that little bit of normalcy in my life that everyone else took for granted. My mother always told me that it didn't matter if I had a voice or not, but I never really believed that. Only now, I think I'm kind of getting it. All this time I thought that there was something wrong with me and that the only thing that mattered was being like everyone else and having a voice. I guess I've come to realize that, as my mother said, actions _do_ speak louder than words. But don't get me wrong, being given a voice is one of the most incredible things that's ever happened to me!

After Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots congratulate me, I'm approached by two familiar toms. Stanley and Tiger, looking a little scuffed up from the fight but as lovable as ever. Without a word they pull me into a tight hug, and for awhile we just enjoy each other's presence.

"I've never said this before," I start, "but I love you two, more than anything. I was so worried!"

"We love you, too, Victoria," Stanley says.

"_We_ were the ones worrying about _you_!" Tiger adds. "You were captured by freakin' _Macavity_! I think we're all pretty lucky to be alive after all that."

"Yes, we are," I say simply. We hug again and I leave to try to find Cassandra. I'm so worried that she might have gotten injured in the chaos of the battle. I would never tell her this, but I don't think she's really as tough as she thinks she is. I'm very relieved when I finally spot the queen, but I only giggle and walk away. She's embracing Alonzo and I'd really hate to interrupt such a romantic moment. Well, I'll have plenty of time to talk to her later. And I really do mean _talk_.

And now I just need to find Mistoffelees and thank him properly for everything he's done. He's saved me more times than I can count and in more than one way. Along the way in my search I run into Electra and Etcetera, who are scurrying about and looking worried.

"What's wrong?" I ask them. They both look at me oddly for a moment before shaking it off.

"I'm _so_ not used to that," Etcetera says as she shakes her head a little. "And there is _so_ much wrong!" Macavity is gone, so what else could possibly be so wrong?

"There's a lot of injured Jellicles. We're so overwhelmed trying to help them all! And blood, a lot of blood!" Electra rambles on nervously. I've never seen Electra so uncomposed.

"Who's injured?" I ask with worry. I still feel responsible for every Jellicle harmed, like I was the one who inflicted the injury. It_ was_ my fault Macavity invaded the junkyard, wasn't it?

"Loads of people," Etcetera says with tears coming to her eyes, her sensitivity showing.

"Worst off is Tantomile. Tumblebrutus hasn't woken up yet, but we think he should be okay. Pouncival was hurt but is much better than before. Mungojerrie is pretty bad, so are Coricopat and Rumpelteazer. Munkustrap obviously has more than a few wounds from Macavity. And the Rum Tum Tugger... he broke his wrist!" Electra cried out the last part in despair like it was the worst thing in the world. I just feel glad no one's been killed and hope that they'll all make a fast recovery. Now, I just need to find Mistoffelees...

* * *

**I can't believe it, but there will be probably only be a few more chapters after this one! I'll be wrapping up the story too for all of the characters, so don't worry if I didn't adress certain characters in this chapter or recently. Thanks everyone for the great reviews! Any reviews, even a review with like one word, make me super happy! Please review this chapter, the next one is coming soon.**


	16. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own cats

**This chapter wraps up the Cori/Teazer, Tantomile, Alonzo/Cass, and Jemima side plots. Sorry to leave off at Vic's view last chapter and then shift the story, but the next chapter(s) will focus almost entirely on Victoria.**

* * *

Cassandra

After the whole Macavity-trying-to-take-over-the-junkyard-causing-a-huge-battle incident, I'm left standing alone in the dispersing crowd. I just went through about every possible emotion in the last five minutes and I'm try to catch my breath from the experience. I had felt shock when Macavity snatched Victoria up, then fear for the kitten's life, anger at Macavity for practically using her as a shield, surprise when Victoria spoke for the first time, and now relief that she escaped. It sure was an emotional roller coaster ride, though.

I feel a hand gently grab my elbow and I turn to see Alonzo standing beside me. He has more than a few scratches, but he wouldn't ever admit to being injured. The tom has an ego as inflated as Bombalurina's ass. I myself managed to scrape through the battle with very little damage done to myself, but mainly because I tried to avoid the battle altogether. Alonzo had been in the very heat of it, and enjoying every second of it.

"So you're alive," I simply state as he slips his arm around my waist. I back away from his touch and look away icily.

"And you seem really happy about it," Alonzo jokes sarcastically. I flick my tail with attitude and cross my arms.

"I just don't see why you had to act so reckless in the fight. You're not a god, Alonzo. You _are_ capable of dying," I point out, though I keep my voice and expression indifferent.

"It's my job, Cassie. I was trying to keep everyone safe," he says matter-of-factly. I just can't take it any more! I let all of my carefully guarded emotions spill out for the first time.

"And what about yourself? You weren't keeping _yourself_ safe! Don't you see that that's the problem!" I yell. Alonzo looks flabbergasted and confused at my sudden tirade, but I'm not done yet. "All you ever are is selfish! What about me? Did you ever think how I would feel if you had died? I was worried sick about you! Not everything is a game, Alonzo! There you were, fighting away, having a grand old time, and I was worrying my mind out over you! And then you think you can come over here and just, just act so calm, like everything's okay!" Near the end of my speech tears start to come to my eyes and my voice begins to shake. I angrily wipe away at my eyes and avoid looking at Alonzo.

"Cass," Alonzo says gently. I expected him to be angry at me, yell at me for being selfish or unreasonable, but not this. "I was trying to keep _you_ safe." I look at him and see the open and honest expression on his face and find myself believing him. I remember that during the battle a henchcat tried to attack me and Alonzo was the one who protected me. I feel guilty and terrible; I don't deserve him. He reaches out and takes my paws in his, but I let him this time.

"I just wanted _you_ to be safe," I admit quietly with fresh tears running down my face. I _never_ cry in front of anyone because I don't want to look weak, but I can't help it now. Alonzo reaches over and wipes my tears away with his paw. "I'm so sorry. I'm impossible, aren't I?"

"Impossible's my specialty," Alonzo says with a smile. "No queen can resist my charm and good looks." I roll my eyes but laugh in spite of myself. I let him pull me in closer in a warm embrace.

"Why can't I ever stay angry at you?" I murmur into his fur as he nuzzles his head against mine.

"The charm and the good looks," he says again with a chuckle. I smile and relax for the first time in ages. I feel as if my body is melting into his as I let go of everything that's been holding me back my whole life: my insecurities, my family problems, my faults, and my fears. I finally purge myself of everything that's been eating away at me.

"Alonzo?" I say as I lift my head up to look at him. He looks at me and raises his eyebrows to show that he's listening. "I've always been... afraid to love someone. I always thought I would just end up getting hurt." It's difficult to share my emotions for the first time to someone, but there's no better listenener than Alonzo. He keeps quiet as I continue to speak. "I was hurt before and, and I guess that's why I am the way I am. Guarded, I mean. So I might not act like it all the time, but... I love you, Alonzo. With all my heart." I feel so exposed and uncomfortable after telling Alonzo how I feel, but his smile makes me feel much better.

"I love you, too, Cassandra. I always have," he says, and though he's still not completely serious he sounds very sincere. I relax and even smile at Alonzo. Not a sarcastic smile or an amused smile or even a mocking smile- a true, happy smile. Alonzo looks into my eyes with his own blue stare and I return his gaze.

We've always enjoyed fooling around with each other and having a frivolous, meaningless relationship, but now there's definitely something more between us, something deeper. Not caring who sees us, Alonzo kisses me passionately right then and there. This is nothing like the kisses we've shared before, kisses Alonzo stole from me when I wasn't paying attention that ended in him getting a beating from me. The kiss is sincere and loving and takes my breath away, and when he finally pulls away I'm left longing for more. But before I can lean in for another kiss Alonzo takes a step back and gets on his knee, holding one of my paws in both of his.

"Cassandra, you know that I love you; I've never felt this way about anyone! And I realize I want to spend the rest of my life with you and grow old together and have kittens and the whole package! So, Cassandra, will you be my mate?" I automatically cover my mouth with my free paw, shocked and overwhelmed. Become Alonzo's mate? So many doubts run through my mind as I consider my answer. We're both so young, we've only _officially_ been together for a couple of days, and, most importantly, what if I get hurt? But I realize that only one thing matters: I love Alonzo and I can't picture my life without him.

"Yes," I say with a nod. "YES!" I smile as Alonzo gets up and pulls me into a tight hug. I lift my feet off the ground and he spins me around. I feel so happy and carefree and light, and for once I've put all of my fears aside. Alonzo has seen all of the worst sides of me, all of my faults and my insecurites, and yet he still loves me for who I am. I couldn't ask for a better tom to spend the rest of my life with.

* * *

Rumpelteazer

Recovery really isn't so bad. Aside from my injuries, though, the worst thing is having to sit here while I know Macavity and his dirty rotten henchcats got away. Those no-good, ugly, smelly, low-life scoundrels!

And I have to admit, it's a little embarrassing that I got injured in the battle so easily. It was just so hectic and crazy that it was nearly impossible to see who was hitting who or where a henchcat might sneak up on you. One minute I was looking for Mungojerrie while holding off a henchcat and the next minute another cat was tackling me over and hitting me! It was really rather rude, considering that some people might call me a lady. The henchcat's actions really had me questioning if chivalry was dead until what happened next.

The rotten old henchcat was about to attack me again when a wiry tom stepped in his way and took all the heat of the blow. I may not have been in the clearest state of mind, but I would have known the tom anywhere. It had been Coricopat! I never thought that kook would have the guts to stand up to a henchcat like that with all of his corny talks about the need for rational thoughts and peace. And even though he got the sh*t beaten out of him, I was just amazed he had done that, and for _me_, too. I always like to think that I can take care of myself, but I know that Coricopat saved my life.

I guess after that I must have blacked out because I woke up feeling very confused and with Jennyanydots staring over me. I half listen to her ramble on for awhile about my head injury and my wounds and such, but all I can think about the whole time is my brother.

"Mungojerrie?" I ask Jennyanydots, interrupting her tangent on various poultices she used to heal me. "Where is moi brotha?"

"Oh, he's fine dear," she tries to reassure me. "Most of his injuries occured before the battle. He had a nasty tussle with Macavity, the poor dear."

"But 'e'll be ollroight?" I ask again. I tilt my head around to look, but all I can see is a few other injured cats. Tumblebrutus, Munkustrap, Pouncival, Tantomile... who does not look so good. Not at all. I barely hear Jennyanydots as she rambles on about the specifics of Mungojerrie's condition. I'm much more interested in watching Jellylorum working at Tantomile, though it isn't helping much.

For the first time I notice Coricopat and remember everything that happened. Will he think I'm weak for being knocked out in the battle earlier? He's kneeling next to Tantomile, saying nothing and obviously concentrating hard on trying to reach her telepathically.

Still ignoring the ever dotty Jenny, I get up and make my way over to him. He doesn't even look up when I sit down next to him and it takes a few hard nudges for him to realize I'm there. He finally looks up at me and forces a small smile despite the fact that his eyes hold more sadness and worry than I've ever seen before.

"'ello, Cori," I say, uncharacteristically quiet. I've decided on using only this nickname for him as I think it suits him best.

"Hi," he says back, though his voice is tight. For once he doesn't even bother correcting me on calling him Cori instead of Coricopat. He avoids eye contact and looks back to his sister. I'm not really used to comforting cats or anything, but I should probably say something to him to make him feel better. After an inner debate with myself I settle on awkwardly patting him on the back.

"Oi'm sure she'll be ollroight," I add. He doesn't make any indication that he hears me and we sit together for some time before he breaks the silence.

"How do you know she'll be alright? She's barely responded to any of my attempts to contact her. I've always been able to have some insight on the future or know what others are thinking, but now I'm completely lost. I don't even know if she's going to live or die. And even more, I don't know what I would do without her," he says. Coricopat is a tom of few words and doesn't often open up to other people, and so his speech is surprising.

"Oi may not be psychic or anythin' fancy loike tha'," I say, "but Oi _know_ Tantomile will be ollroight. Call it thief's intuition, but Oi got a feelin' she'll be up an' at 'em soon enough." I'm not just saying this for Coricopat's sake; I really do believe that Tantomile will make a full recovery. It's just the Tantomile thing to do. No way would she ever just give up and die like some prissy prima donna.

"Thief's intuition? Sounds trustworthy," Coricopat says with a hint of sarcasm, but he does seem a little cheered up. "I suppose you're right, though. And her thoughts do seem to be getting clearer." He stops talking for a moment and looks up at me. "And how are_ you_, Rumpelteazer? Are you feeling well?"

"Sure, Oi'm foine... oll thanks ta you," I say with a shrug and a smile.

"Oh... I thought you were unconscious when all that happened," Coricopat says, obviously a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, Oi saw tha way ya stepped in fron' a tha creep foh me," I admit. "It wos so stupid, Cori! Ya coulda bin killed! But Oi kinda owe ya moi loife an' such, so... thanks for tha'." My thanks definitely didn't come off as nice and eloquent as I meant it to, but I've never been good at telling people how I feel. It only sounds awkward and slightly forced though my feelings are truly genuine.

"I wouldn't have just let him kill you," Coricopat says as if it's obvious.

"Well Oi'm glad ta 'ear _tha_'. But... aftah Oi was attacked, I blacked ou'," I suddenly remember. "'ow did Oi get 'ere?" I ask this even though I'm almost certain I know the answer.

"Uh, I carried you. You're really not so heavy," he says shyly.

"Aww, Cori, ya really ah moi 'ero!" I yell and impulsively give him a hug. His face turns so red it's almost comical, though after pulling away I'm sure my own face is a similar shade. We sit awkwardly apart from each other again before Coricopat speaks up. He clears his throat and hesitates as if he has something important to say.

"Um, Rumpelteazer? Well.. I haven't read your mind at all since you asked me not to, so I have no idea, um, what you're thinking," Coricopat starts tensely. "But I guess I know what I've been thinking all along. For quite a while actually." He stops, looks around, and scratches his head nervously.

"Go on," I encourage him with a smile. Call it thief's intuition, but I'm quite sure of what he'll say next.

"I like you," he says quickly, the words spewing out of his mouth in a jumble. All at once he blushes, looks down, fiddles with his tail, and shifts uncomfortably. I reach over and tilt his chin up to look me in the eye and give him a cheeky smile.

"Oi wos kinda 'opin' ya would say tha'," I say. "Oi suppose Oi loike ya, too, Coricopat!" I call him by his full name for what must be the first time and a big smile comes to his face. I didn't even know he was capable of a smile like that! It makes him look much less serious and even handsome.

"That's kind of a relief," he says with a nervous laugh. We stay sitting apart from beside Tantomile and just look at each other, both of us too timid to make a move.

"Well, are you going to kiss her or not?" a voice suddenly says. It's Tantomile! She's lying in the same position as before but her eyes are open and she looks alert. Without a word Coricopat grabs her paw in his and holds it tightly. The two seem to go into an intense mental conversation, leaving me sitting there like an awkward third wheel. Their conversation suddenly switches to speaking out loud.

"I thought I'd lost you," Coricopat says to his sister. "I was so afraid I would never be able to talk to you again! And I realized I never told you how much you mean to me, Tantomile."

"I know," she says with a smile. "I always knew that I loved you and that you loved me, we were just never the type to say it out loud. But really, Coricopat, what took you so long?" She laughs at giving Coricopat a hard time and sits up.

"I know. I should have told you a long time ago," he says. At his words Tantomile mischeviously looks over at me and smiles.

"I'm not the only one you should have spilt your feelings to earlier," she says slyly. She adresses me and says, "Coricopat's liked you for so long! You should hear his thoughts, they're hilarious! Rumpelteazer this, Rumpelteazer that..."

"_Tantomile!_" Coricopat yells to stop his sister from talking. I laugh loudly along with Tantomile as Coricopat blushes. I never even suspected Coricopat liked me before, and while the fact that he thought about me a lot is a little creepy, it's completely endearing.

"Tha's adorable, Cori! Oi always though' ya 'ated me or somethin'," I admit through my giggles. Oh lord, I'm giggling now! What has come over me?

"No, he was just infatuated," Tantomile says as she affectionately tweaks Coricopat's ear. "Well, I should probably get some rest. I'll leave you two _alone_." She says the last part suggestively and lies down again with her back facing us.

"I really don't think about you _that_ much," Coricopat says defensively. I giggle a little more and scoot closer to him, hoping he'll finally make a move. He continues to only sit there uncomfortably, so I scoot even closer and tilt my face right up to his expectantly. He only remains placid to my obvious advances.

"Damnit, Cori, kiss me!" I finally yell with exasperation. Having finally worked up the courage, he slowly leans in and closes the distance between our lips. He plants a kiss straight on my lips and my heart flutters at the sensation. It's my first proper kiss and it lives up to all of my expectations. He pulls away far too soon but stays close, allowing me to lean back against his chest happily.

"Thanks for tha'," I say with a dreamy smile. I, a renowned cat burglar and thieving expert, am becoming completely sentimental and mushy! But I guess I found something else that makes me happy other than stealing: Coricopat.

* * *

Jemima

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Dad?" I ask him as we walk together with my mom to the makeshift hospital where several cats are being treated for their wounds. My dad isn't going there to be healed, though; he wants to check on the injured cats. As usual he's completely selfless and worried only for the safety of others, something I really admire about him.

"Oh, I'm fine," he says, though his body would say otherwise. Macavity nearly killed him! "I'm just happy you two are safe." He smiles at my mother and I, giving her a kiss and me a loving pat on the head.

"But you must at least rest, Munkustrap! When we go see the other cats you should stay with them and see about being treated yourself."

"No, I'm alright. I've been worse off before, it's just a few scratches," my dad replies.

"Please, dear. It would make me feel so much better," Demeter pleads.

My dad looks at her and sighs, giving up. He says, "If it will put you at ease, sure." My mom gives him a grateful smile and we continue on our way. Being only a short walk from the main clearing, the makeshift hospital is in the same place I first moved Pouncival to. When we arrive we settle my father down on an old pillow. My mother leaves to fetch one of the queens acting as nurses, leaving me alone with Munkustrap.

"You were very brave today," I say as I put my hand on my dad's shoulder. Growing up I've always looked up to my dad and strived to be just like him, but I don't know how I could ever live up to his greatness. He's kind, loyal, brave, and selfless, all of the best qualities I could think of.

"I heard you were very brave, too," Munkustrap says back. "I heard you knocked out three henchcats _and_ saved Pouncival, Tantomile, and Tumblebrutus!"

"It wasn't really bravery," I say modestly. "I was only doing the right thing."

"You risked your own life to save your friends. That's bravery by any means," my dad says back, patting my hand. I smile in pride at this. I never considered myself particularly brave, but it feels great to hear my dad say this to me. It feels even better, though, to know that I did the right thing and helped save three other cats.

My mom returns with Jennyanydots, who begins to inspect my dad and treat his wounds. Being a bit squeamish, I look away to see the other cats around me. Mungojerrie is on the far side of us, taking a nap on a stool, and I see that Tumblebrutus is right next to us. He's conscious now and even sitting up, and Pouncival's sitting beside him and recounting battle stories.

"And then the fatty came up to me and tried to grab me, but I was way too fast! I dodged aside and karate chopped him right in his gut! I swear, I nearly chopped him in half like a block of wood!" Pouncival rambles as he makes several gestures with his arms.

"Then how did you get _that_?" Tumblebrutus asks, pointing to a giant bruise on the side of Pouncival's head. Pouncival touches it gingerly and winces.

"Oh, this? I had a run in with a couple of henchcats sporting nunchucks. I put up quite the fight if I do say so myself, but they ganged up on me and gave me a couple of whacks with their nunchucks. I was a fighter to the end, though! They were hitting me with their nunchucks and I just kept on going and going after them, like the Hulk! But then the boss ninja came out with steel nunchucks and..."

"There weren't any nunchucks!" Tumblebrutus interjects.

"Ya-huh! Nunchucks of STEEL!" Pouncival argues back. I giggle and finally get up and make my way over to the pair of toms to make sure both of them are okay.

"Hi, Tumblebrutus, Pouncival," I say as I sit down beside both of them. "I hope you two are both feeling better. You were pretty bad earlier."

"How'd you know?" Tumblebrutus asks. "I don't remember seeing you earlier."

"And he would have remembered," Pouncival says with a chuckle. Tumblebrutus elbows him and looks to me again.

"Well I saw you both when you were unconscious. I was the one who brought you here," I say. A light of recognition seems to go off in Pouncival's head, but Tumblebrutus still looks confused.

"Ah, I remember! I was semi-awake when you and Demeter dragged me here!" Pouncival says. Suddenly his voice takes on a tone of wonder and he looks at Tumblebrutus. "Dude, Jemima totally saved your life!"

"You did?" Tumblebrutus asks, looking at me. I shrug and half-nod in response.

"It was _so_ bad-ass!" Pouncival recounts excitedly. "She was all dragging you away and then these three toms came and started trying to attack you guys and suddenly Jemima went all ninja and was all leaping all over the place and dodging! She knocked three toms out and then dragged you back here all by herself! She dragged your fat butt that whole way!"

"It was nothing, really," I say shyly. Pouncival makes it sound so great and exciting, but I was just doing what anyone else would have done. I wasn't exactly a "ninja", as he would say.

"You really did all that?" Tumblebrutus asks me incredulously.

"For the most part, yes," I reply. Tumblebrutus' face breaks out in a huge grin and he looks at me in amazement.

"You're pretty awesome, Jemima," he says, his smile growing even bigger. He holds his fist out for me and I nudge it with my own knuckles. "Thanks for saving me! Sorry you had to drag me here. I'm probably kind of heavy..."

"Kind of heavy? You should work part-time as a sumo-wrestler! You eat more than the whole tribe combined!" Pouncival playfully teases Tumblebrutus.

"Hey, I'm a growing tom!" Tumblebrutus defends himself. Suddenly Pouncival snaps his head to the side as Bombalurina walks by.

"Hey, I gotta go woo my lady! Catch ya guys later!" Pouncival says before dashing off in the same direction as my aunt Bombalurina. I know for a fact that Bombalurina is not Pouncival's "lady", but he's determined that some day she'll fall madly in love with him. It would be unkind to tell him that she really fancies the Rum Tum Tugger, though, so I leave it alone.

"So, Jemima," Tumblebrutus says a little awkwardly now that we're alone. "You're okay and everything?"

"I'm great," I say with a smile. I think about what Tumblebrutus told me before he left with the rescue party, about how he likes me. I wonder if he still feels the same way? Recently I've been experiencing my own share of feelings for him, and my heart is fluttering even now just sitting next to him.

"And did you really do all that? It sounded like just another of Pounce's made up stories," Tumblebrutus says. He quickly adds, though, "I mean, I know you're not lying or anything, that's not what I'm saying."

"It's okay, I know what you mean," I giggle. I recount the whole true story of what happened, including how I outsmarted the henchcats and brought him back here.

"Well, you're more than awesome, Jemima. You're brave and smart and funny and pretty and... oh, wait," Tumblebrutus stops and looks embarrassed. "Um, I didn't mean to say that last part. Wait, no, it's not that I didn't mean it! I just didn't mean to say it out loud, and, well... you're very pretty." I giggle happily and blush at his compliment.

"Well I think you're a very handsome tom, Tumblebrutus," I admit with a smile.

"We should, you know, hang out sometime," he says. I reach over and tentatively take his paw in mine. We intertwine our fingers together and smile at each other.

"I'd like that."

* * *

**It's funny cuz this whole time I've been intending to make Tumblebrutus die (I foreshadowed this in ch 8) but when I got there I didn't have the heart to kill him off! I settled for some fluff instead haha :D **

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think in a review! (: And to let you all know, I'll be gone for about a week on vacation so there will be some time before my next update.**


	17. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I dont own ""cats"

**Sorry this took so long!**

* * *

It's amazing how the Jellicles are able to band together at the worst of times and be there to support each other. Even now after the battle and with several cats injured, the Jellicles all still find reasons to be grateful. As I'm walking the junkyard in search of Mistoffelees I notice families together, smiling and thanking the everlasting cat that no one was killed. The thing I thank God the most for is that I'm a part of such an accepting and loving tribe, a tribe that is good enough not to place any of the blame I deserve on me.

All of the cats are going to make a full recovery and none of them are as bad off as Etctera and Electra made them sound. I think the Rum Tum Tugger even enjoys being injured because of the way that all of the queens are fussing over him. Etcetera and Electra have been acting like his maids and have been happily attending to his every wish.

Eventually I give up looking for him and climb up a junkpile just off to the side of the main clearing and sit alone as I allow myself to get lost in my thoughts, the moon casting a vibrant glow on my snowy fur. I'm glad that I'm accepted in the tribe and that everyone is so thoughtful and kind to me, and yet I still feel helplessly lonely. Everyone is rejoicing with their families and close friends, leaving me all alone. Stanley and Tiger left the junkyard not long after Macavity because they needed to get back to their owners, their new family, so they wouldn't worry too much. The closest thing to family I have next to them is Cassandra, but I don't want to intrude on her and Alonzo.

While I had been looking for Mistoffelees earlier so I could properly thank him for giving me a voice, I failed to find him anywhere in the junkyard. What if he's avoiding me, I sadly consider. Even though I have a voice now- though I've hardly used it- I still haven't been able to silence all of the insecurities that have haunted me my whole life. I can't help but feel like people will still think there's something wrong with me or not want anything to do with me. And worst of all, I always felt like people thought I was _stupid_, like being born a mute made me defective and undesirable.

I thought having a voice would make all of the negative voices in my brain go away and I would be completely happy and carefree. It's great that I have a voice now, but it's not a cure for everything. I still just want others to love me, and none more so than Mistoffelees. I want him to feel the same way about me that I do about him, and though I have words fresh on my tongue I don't know if I'll ever have the courage to say all this to him.

Mistoffelees is the only tom I've ever truly cared for like this. The feeling I get when I'm around him is like no other, and it's not just a silly, shallow little crush- or at least for the most part it's not. He is the sweetest tom I've ever met and is so selfless. His silliness and mischevious ways makes me laugh, too, and he can take the shyness right out of me. Just thinking about him makes me blush and feel all warm and tingly.

I eventually curl up in the junkpile, completely exhausted and worn out from the recent crazy turn my life has taken. In a matter of a couple of days I was kidnapped, beaten, rescued, attacked, and held hostage. Sleep overwhelms me and wins out over my hunger pains, and soon enough I'm fast asleep with thoughts of Mistoffelees fresh on my mind.

* * *

"Victoria. Victoria, wake up," a voice whispers to me. I'm still so tired and I try to shoo it away, but like an annoying insect it won't leave. I lightly slap at the air as if to banish the sound, but it's no use. "Victoria? Victoria?"

I reluctantly open my drowsy eyes to see a black tuxedo tom standing over me. Sitting up quickly, I rub my eyes and shake myself awake before standing up next to him.

"Mistoffelees, I've been looking for you," I say, the words sounding awkward and clumsy on my tongue. I hope I don't sound like a stumbling idiot in front of Mistoffelees. He doesn't seem to even notice my stiff speech, though; one of his huge signature smiles lights up his whole face.

"Sorry to wake you, but.. it really worked!" he laughs sincerely. "You have a voice now! It's nice to finally hear you talk after all this time. Your voice is lovely, really!" I blush at his compliment and return his smile.

"Well it's all your doing, Mistoffelees. I'm so thankful... for everything," I say, thinking of all of the times he's been there for me and saved me. He's one of the best friends I could ask for. My queen friends are all nice, but none of them are always there for me the way Mistoffelees is; even if we're not always around each other I know that he'll back me in any situation. As we continue to talk we walk down from the junkpile and join the usual bustle of the main clearing.

"Is it weird having a voice now? Does it feel unnatural?" Mistoffelees asks curiously as we stroll slowly around the perimeter of the clearing. I consider his question for awhile before answering.

"It'll still take some getting used to, but it wasn't very hard talking at first. I guess you could say it came naturally," I admit. Mistoffelees smiles again and looks over at me.

"Hey, Einstein himself didn't talk until he was four! I should've known it would come easy enough to you, you're so brilliant," Mistoffelees says cheerfully. Seeing that Mistoffelees just called me brilliant, I don't want to counter his statement by asking who Einstein is. I just smile and nod at the compliment, a sentiment I'm used to.

"Thanks," I say with a blush. "But_ you're_ the brilliant one. Your powers are incredible; you really are the magical, marvelous, Mr. Mistoffelees." I giggle into my paw and it's Mistoffelees' turn to blush.

He rubs the back of his head and says with a dorky smile, "Nah, I'm much more crazy than brilliant. If I were really that brilliant I would have been able to conjure your voice a long time ago."

"I wouldn't have minded if you couldn't conjure my voice until the last day of my life. What matters is you were willing to try... it was really sweet," I say shyly, my cheeks going red again. I'm interrupted when we walk past Plato, who's hanging out with Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, and Mistoffelees nudges me.

"Your tomfriend is over there, you know. Have you talked to him yet?" He says this nonchalantly like he's making casual conversation, but I'm confused. Why does he think Plato is my tomfriend? And is he acting so calm about the idea of me dating Plato becase he doesn't have any feelings for me? For a moment I consider pretending that Plato _is_ my tomfriend to make Mistoffelees jealous- a piece of advice given to me by Electra- but I quickly shake off the tempting thought and decide to tell the truth. Besides, Electra has never given very good advice. Before I can tell Mistoffelees, though, Plato catches my eye and approaches the two of us.

"Hi Victoria... and Mistoffelees," he says, adding the last part in a little grudgingly. I notice that despite the fact that Plato was a fierce fighter in the battle, he's relatively unscathed and looks as healthy and strong as ever. "How are you doing?" He adresses the last part at me.

"I'm good, thanks. And you?" I reply politely.

"Better now that I'm with you," Plato says with a grin, though his line sounds almost rehearsed and somewhat awkward. The cheesiness of it, though, still makes me smile. My smile must give him confidence because he asks me, "Um, can I talk to you? Alone?"

I can tell that Plato wants to tell me that he likes me as Tantomile observed before, and I'm not sure how to handle it. For a moment I even consider if being with Plato would even be such a bad thing. If I admit my feelings to Mistoffelees I might get hurt and be humiliated, whereas with Plato I know that he likes me. Being with Plato would be the easy thing to do, the safe choice, and I would probably even be happy with him. He means well and is a good tom, very respectful and nice to me. I might be happy, but I know I wouldn't be satisfied.

"Do you mind, Mistoffelees?" I ask, though the idea of talking to Plato alone makes me feel nervous. I hope that Mistoffelees will say no when I glance over at him and see that his jaw is set and he's standing rather stiffly, but he forces a small and encouraging smile at me and shakes his head "no". Plato takes my hand and starts to lead me away where we can talk when Mistoffelees suddenly speaks up.

"Wait! I object!" he yells as he follows the two of us. I stop and look at him with surprise. I've never heard Mistoffelees speak out about anything! "Um... I mind," he adds, getting more quiet.

"Woah, woah, woah... what?" Plato interrupts, obviously flustered and confused. "What just happened?"

"I know Plato's your tomfriend and everything, but there's something I have to tell you," Mistoffelees explains, ignoring Plato. "I like you, Victoria." A million butterflies flutter around in my stomach and I feel happy and warm and fuzzy. Knowing that Mistoffelees likes me back is one of the best feelings I've ever had.

"He's not my tomfriend," I admit quietly. The next words flow out of my mouth so naturally it's as if I've been talking my whole life. "I like you, too," I say, my smile growing until I'm sure it's taking up my whole face and Mistoffelees mirrors me with his own lopsided grin. As happy as I am, I feel sorry for Plato. I glance at him sadly, feeling kind of bad that Mistoffelees and I are admitting our feelings for each other right in front of him.

"Are you kidding me!" Plato suddenly interjects. "I was just about to... I've been meaning to say... that's not fair! I was going to tell her I like her, too!"

"I'm sorry, Plato, really. You're a great tom and a good friend," I say quietly and apologetically. Plato flushes and he looks kind of embarrassed and upset at the same time.

"I knew it! I knew you and Thunderpaws over here had a thing for each other!" he says with anguish, turning to leave. "Now I feel like an idiot." Before Plato can go, though, Mistoffelees stops him.

"Plato, wait!" he calls. Plato turns around and looks at the black tom expectantly. "You're _not_ an idiot. And I thought I'd let you know, in case you're interested I have a queen cousin I've been meaning to introduce to the Jellicles. She's our age, too."

Plato considers this for a moment before asking, "Is she hot?" Mistoffelees grins mischeviously and nods in response.

"I can put in a good word for you," he offers. "Are you interested?" Fickle Plato finally relinquishes being upset and cracks a big smile.

"You know it! I call dibs!" he yells before running off to join Tumblebrutus and Pouncival again, where he talks enthusiastically to them. Mistoffelees and I look at each other and laugh. His own joyful chuckle plays like music to my ears, and for the first time my own laughter, which sounds much more like a guffaw than tinkling bells, mixes with his. Our fervent laughter soon dies off, though, and we're left standing and smiling at each other.

"So Plato's NOT your tomfriend?" Mistoffelees asks hesitantly. "I always thought you liked him. I mean, you'd think, just looking at him... he's usually the kind of tom queens go for, not me." Plato may be handsome, but Mistoffelees is absolutely adorable! Just the sight of his round black eyes, lopsided smile, and large pointed ears make me smile.

"He's nice but... no, I never liked him like that," I say. I tentatively add, "I only ever liked you." Mistoffelees looks into my eyes and smiles.

"I always liked you, too. But I think most of the toms did anyways, so I never really thought I had a chance with you," he admits sheepishly.

"You didn't think you had a chance with me?" I ask, surprised by his statement. "I never thought anyone would really like me since I was mute." I knew that Plato had liked me, but I had always suspected he had cared more for my appearance than my personality.

"How could you think that? You're fun and kind and graceful and always really appreciative of everything," he says. "It never mattered to me that you were mute. And anyways, actions speak louder than words, don't they?"

I smile shyly and say, "My mother always said that... It's really nice of you to say all those things." Mistoffelees makes me feel like I'm worth something, and it's refreshing and wonderful to hear someone compliment me on my inner beauty. It's all I've ever really wanted, for someone to see past my exterior and my condition to love me for who I truly am and not for who they want me to be.

"Uh... I'm a bit head-over-heels, if you know what I mean, so..." Mistoffelees starts, putting his hands behind his back. A poof of smoke goes off from behind him and he brings his paws forward to reveal the same teddy bear that he had been practicing with the day I was kidnapped. The bear, however, is in far better condition and has a big blue bow tied around its neck. He offers the teddy bear to me and asks, "Will you be my queenfriend?"

"Of course!" I say back excitedly. I go to hug Mistoffelees and we end up in a warm hug with the teddy bear inbetween us. This is the first time I've ever been so close to Mistoffelees, or any tom for that matter, and my whole body can sense it. Warmth spreads throughout me and I feel complete. It's amazing to me that just an hour or two ago I was feelingly helplessly lonely. Thinking impulsively on my happiness, I ask, "Do you wanna dance?"

"Of course!" Mistoffelees laughs back, quoting my response. We don't even bother to go to a more private clearing; instead we dance out in the open, unafraid of people seeing us. We dance just as we did last week in the clearing alone. The dance is silly and wild and lacks a lot of the technique and preciseness I usually put into my routines, but it's also the most fun I've had in a long time. Mistoffelees is an excellent dancer and can keep up with me on every move, even the craziest turns and quickest steps.

But like all good things, our dance eventually comes to an end. The sun rises shortly after we begin, marking the third day since I've been home. Even though I love the junkyard and everyone in it, I know my place is with my human family. They might not always treat me the best or pay attention to me as often as they used to, but I know that they love Cassandra and I and must be worried and missing us. And I could also go for a nice nap and a bowl of cat food and fresh water.

"Mistoffelees, I should be leaving," I say. He looks up and sees that the sun is low in the sky and the moon has vanished, marking the beginning of a new day.

"I should go home, too. My uncle might be getting worried," he says. I realize that I've never heard Mistoffelees talk about his home life.

"He must be getting _very_ worried!" I say with surprise. "Three days is a long time to go without letting him know about anything." Mistoffelees doesn't look concerned and only shrugs.

"I usually stay at the junkyard for pretty long periods of time. I live far away so when I come I stay for more than one day before going back home," he explains. "My uncle doesn't really come that often since he's so... well, fat. It's too far for him to walk," Mistoffelees chuckles.

"Oh? Where do you live?" I ask. I should be leaving but I'm much too curious to hear about Mistoffelees' life.

"In the city, my family has a mansion. They're all rich and snobby and not too happy with all of my tricks," he says with a mischevious grin. With a dramatic shudder he adds, "And they insist on calling me Mortimer Jones. Doesn't that sound so stuffy?"

"I like Mistoffelees much better," I agree with a smile. "I'm sure they all like you, though." Mistoffelees only shrugs and half-smiles in return.

"Will I see you again soon?" he asks eagerly. I glance to my side and see Cassandra watching me from a distance, a look on her face I've never seen before. She looks undeniably happy and even... proud. I wave to her before turning back to Mistoffelees.

"I'll come every night, I promise," I reply, taking his paw in mine and squeezing it.

"Then I will, too," Mistoffelees says with a smile and hugs me again quickly. "Bye!" he yells as he dashes off, a black ball of energy even after everything we've been through. I walk over to Cassandra, a huge smile on my face from seeing her and from my meeting with Mistoffelees. We stand apart for awhile before she pulls me into a hug.

"I guess I can't call you Wheezer any more, can I?" she laughs as we pull away and start to walk home together at a leisurely pace, in no hurry and enjoying each other's company.

"I hope you're not mad at me," I say softly. My blatant disobedience and disregard for her rules and warnings was the reason why I was kidnapped in the first place. "I should've listened to you, Cassandra."

"What kind of cat do you think I am? Of course I'm not mad!" Cassandra exclaims. "You should've listenened to me, yeah, but I'm just happy you're safe, especially after you did such a stupid thing."

I smile up at Cassandra and say, "I missed you a lot." Cassandra stops looking straight forward for a moment to look down at me with her gray-brown eyes, which have always been impossible to read.

"I missed you, too," she sighs reluctantly. "I even missed the constant headaches you give me." She says the last part teasingly and smiles. There's silence between us for a moment as we continue to walk before I speak again.

"You seem really happy Cassandra," I observe. In a playful voice I add, "It must be because of Alonzo!"

I'm surprised when Cassandra doesn't come back with a snarky comment or sarcastic remark. She only smiles happily and replies wistfully, "He asked me to be his mate." I look at Cassandra with wide eyes and surprise. Alonzo has never seemed very serious to me. The idea of him committing himself to Cassandra and proposing to her is shocking, but so romantic!

"And you said yes, I hope?" I ask eagerly. Cassandra smiles even bigger and nods her head. I squeal in excitement and jump up and down. "That is the most amazing thing ever! You're going to be mated! Are you going to have lots of kittens? Can I name one of them?" I ask all of the questions in a quick and excited jumble, causing Cassandra to roll her eyes.

"I miss the mute version of you," she jokes. "We're not going to be mated yet, we're waiting until the next ball." She adds slyly, "Now it's my turn to pester you. I saw Mistoffelees hug you before we left! What's going on with you two?"

I smile and look down shyly before saying, "He asked me to be his queenfriend." The whole thing still doesn't feel real to me. Mistoffelees is my tomfriend- I couldn't have asked for anything more amazing!

"I knew the little squirt was madly in love with you," Cassandra laughs, making me blush. She continues to tease me and I continue to tease her in the way that only sisters can until we're eventually in our backyard right outside the cat door. I reach my paw out to hold Cassandra and I look at her. She looks conflicted, as if she's not sure if she wants to go back home.

"Are you ready?" I ask her. She seems to waver before letting out a big sigh.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she says, though she looks kind of sad. "Ready to be ignored."

"Cassandra, they love you. I know they do," I comfort her. She doesn't listen and continues on to walk through the door. I follow her and am confronted by the familiar kitchen and cold tile floors. Our food dishes are against the wall and filled to the brim with cat food, and it doesn't take us long to start eating. The hard, bland pellets are a welcome relief from the disgusting rats I had to eat while in Macavity's lair.

It's only a matter of time before Cassandra and I hear the loud stomping of feet coming into the kitchen. What's unexpected, though, is the loud shriek that greets us.

"Cassandra! Victoria!" Brenda screams as she bends down to pull the two of us into her arms in a tight hug. "Wake up, everyone! The kitties are back!" She squeals and squeezes us tighter than ever until her mom, dad, and brother Aaron groggily stumble into the kitchen, alerted from her screaming.

"They came home!" her mom, Carol, gushes, roughly petting us on the head and smiling. The rest of the family does the same, and soon enough Cassandra and I are smothered with hands.

"I love you, kitties!" Brenda says as she snuggles up closer to us. Despite how unconfortable it is, I notice that Cassandra can't stop smiling. As annoying as my owners have been in the past, I can't help but love them, too. They may be dafty and a bit fickle, but they really do care for us. For the rest of the day the family pays close attention to Cassandra and I and fill up our food bowl if it's ever the slightest bit empty. We gratefully accept all the attention and enjoy being pampered.

Night eventually falls and the Wilsons settle down into bed, leaving Cassandra and I free to return to the Junkyard. Before we can exit out the small door, though, I stop Cassandra.

"Thanks, Cassandra, for everything," I say.

She looks confused and startled at my sudden seriousness and asks, "Thanks for what?"

"For being the best sister I could ever ask for," I reply with a smile, causing even Cassandra to crack a small smile.

"I don't know if I could be considered the 'best' sister, but I'll take any compliment, even one from you," she says jokingly. "And Victoria, I'm glad you have a voice now. You really did get your whole happy ending and everything."

"I hope I didn't get a happy ending! I haven't even turned one yet!" I object playfully.

"Ugh, you know what I mean. I'm trying to be nice here!" Cassandra teases with a roll of her eyes. "But, you know, I think I'm glad I met you. You're real special, you know that?" Cassandra is never so sentimental or sweet and her kind words make me feel overjoyed.

"Aw, that's sweet! I love you, too, Cassandra," I say with a happy smile as I lean forward to nuzzle against her neck. She rubs her head against mine in return before backing away.

"All right, that's enough love for tonight. Let's go," she says as we step out the door together into the outside world. The two of us walk side by side to the junkyard I've come to know and love- the place I danced my first steps, spoke my first words, made my first friend, and have my first tomfriend. I hope that the Junkyard and I, along with all of the other Jellicles, will enjoy many more happy firsts to come together.

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**The story's over! Well, kind of. There's still going to be an epilogue after this. Please review please review pleeeaaase! (: I would especially like feedback on this chapter cuz I'm kind of on the fence about it- I don't really know if I like it or not. And thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome (: Thanks for reading, lovely readers!**


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: don't own 'cats'

**Ok this took forever. Sorry about the wait :P**

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Tonight is the night that us Jellicles wait all year for: the Jellicle Ball. It's hard to believe that it will be my fourth ball, marking almost five years since I was first introduced to the tribe the fateful night I ventured to the junkyard with Cassandra. Even with all of the time that's passed, my first year of life is still as fresh and poignant in my memory as ever.

When I think back on all that happened to me in my early months as a kitten I can still remember all of my insecurities, shame, and loneliness; that has never left me. But now most of these feelings have been replaced over time with happiness, love, and good feelings. Of course, much has changed since my kitten days.

Cassandra and Alonzo mated at my first ball, and it was one of the most romantic moments ever! I remember sighing with my queenfriends as we dreamed about our own future mates. And not long after that Cassandra had her own kittens! I had never, ever thought that Cassandra would have kittens seeing as to her general dislike for them, but she's actually a very good mother.

Besides Cassandra, most of my friends have settled down, mated, and had kittens. Jemima and Tumblebrutus, Coricopat and Rumpelteazer, Electra and Pouncival, and Etcetera and Mungojerrie; all of them have been mated for awhile. Plato dated Mistoffelees' cousin Corina on off for awhile before they finally became mates. Even my own brothers settled down in the junkyard! I was really happy when Stanley and Tantomile became mates; after all, she is one of my best friends! Tiger ended up with a new queen in the junkyard, a sleek cat named Exotica. She's so quiet and aloof and he's so loud and obnoxious that they actually balance each other out perfectly!

And me? I guess I have everything I could have ever hoped for, including the use of my voice. Mistoffelees and I have been together since our kitten days and are still as happy as ever. We have three kittens, two toms and one queen. All of them are less than a year old, so they're experiencing the Jellicle Ball for the first time tonight. Me, Mistoffelees, and our kittens are sitting by an old pipe as we wait for all the other cats to come out.

"Mom, when is Old Deuteronomy coming?" Russel asks me. Russel is completely black apart from the small patch of white on his chest and tip on his tail. He has the same light blue eyes as me, but unlike myself he never, ever stops talking and is always full of energy.

"He'll be here soon, I think," I say back with a smile.

"I really want to see him!" Russel says as he bounces up and down excitedly. "Is he really as fat as everyone says he is?!"

"Not as fat as Bustopher Jones," Mistoffelees says with his signature mischevious grin, something he never grew out of.

"Is Grandpa coming tonight?" my other son, Albert, asks. Albert has a coat similar to Mistoffelees', though he has larger sections of white. His eyes are a bright shade of blue-green and are big and round like Mistoffelees'. Albert is a little quiet and is often curious and inquisitive.

"I suppose so, if he can make the walk," Mistoffelees jokes, poking fun at Bustopher again.

"I really hope it starts soon," Trixie, who I named after my mother, says as she restlessly taps her feet. "I want to dance already!" Trixie's coat is perfectly white like mine and her eyes are golden brown. Even though I'm often told she's the spitting image of me, her confident, sassy personality reminds me of Cassandra more than anything.

"You'll get your chance," I say with a smile. Trixie likes to dance more than anything and loves to be the center of attention. She's been looking forward to the Jellicle Ball to show off all of the moves she's been practicing at and to catch the attention of some of the toms her age.

"Dad, how about you work your magic and make everyone appear!" Russel suggests. Mistoffelees' powers have gotten much stronger and he has perfect control over them now that he's grown up, but he usually refrains from using magic unless he has to.

"Or you could work your magic and make Russel disappear," Trixie sneers.

"I'm sure the ball will start soon," Mistoffelees assures them. The kittens only become more restless as the time goes by, though, until Trixie eventually makes a move. With her practiced poise, she tiptoes out to the center of the clearing and begins a dance. Everyone, even Russel, stops talking and all eyes are on my daughter. Her lines are perfect and her grace is undeniable as she captivates everone's attention and wows them with her performance.

As she continues to dance, Jellicle cats begin to enter the clearing from all over and start their own dance. A song begins.

_Jellicle cats come out tonight. Jellicle cats come one, come all._  
_The Jellicle moon is shining bright. Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball._

Mistoffelees and I finally enter the clearing together, hand in hand, and begin our own dance among all of the other Jellicles. As I've learned, though, the dance moves don't really matter. What matters more is that you're dancing with someone you care about.

The End

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**Well that's it, it's officially over. Sorry for such a boring short epilogue, I just didn't really have any ideas! Hence why it took me so long to start writing this haha. Well I hope you all liked the ending anyways and that everyone enjoyed the story overall! (: Thanks to everyone for all the reviews throughout the story and thanks for reading too.**

**One last thing! I while back I wrote another story, a humor oneshot called "the sparkle five". If anyone hasn't read it... hey, read it! Yeah sorry for the desperate sounding request (:**


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